the beach
by babble13
Summary: Squinoa. A group is willing to risk their lives for one thing: the rush you can only get from braving the ultimate adventure. But on this perfect beach, they discover that 'heaven on earth' can instantly change into a jungle of seduction and danger.
1. are you in?

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or its characters

Chapter 1  
_are you in?_

Everyone does it. It's not like we are the first ones. It's not planned. There's no travel agents involved or farewell parties thrown, it's secretive. One day you just pack your bag and head out the front door never looking back or second guessing yourself, in search of something elusive. We all try to achieve it at some point in our lives. It's what drives us and pushes us to the edge of sanity. In a word, greatness. We're not talking about getting accolades for graduating at the top of your class, or hell, even winning a Pulitzer Prize. No, that has all been done before. It's doing something truly original and discovering your alternate universe. Others do it to escape the confines of their reality: to escape the morning routine, the cubicle, or the cycle of day and night. Whatever the reason is, we all do it eventually.

_What should I say? Should I really tell them…Nah_, I thought to myself while nervously tapping the pen on the pad of paper that was sprawled out on my desk. I hunched over my desk contemplating on telling them my plans. How do I put on paper a plan that I can barely comprehend myself, when it's the pot at the end of the rainbow that I am searching for? _Fuck it, they don't need to know_. I placed the pen on the paper gingerly so not to make any noises and turned around to finish stuffing my pack. I tossed my swim trunks into my bag and turned to look at my clock. It read 11:03. _Shit, I'm late_. I quietly opened up the drawer to my nightstand and grabbed some matches and a wad of gil wrapped up in a rubber band. I placed both items into my pack and secured it onto my back. I took one last look around my room and went through my mental checklist before heading for the window. I instinctively patted my back pocket to make sure they were still there, five tickets on the last train out of Esthar. I stepped out onto the windowsill and reached over for the drainpipe. I slithered my way down the pipe until I reached the ground. I hunkered down against the side of the mansion and waited silently. The window to my left was opened, spilling light into the back gardens. A heated argument ensued inside.

"Sir, we can't do that, there just isn't enough money! Not to mention it's completely ludicrous!"  
"Then I will pay for it out of my own pocket! Kiros, I must have those pandas for Squall's birthday, you know how much he loves them!"

I cringed and ran a hand down my face. _How is it possible that I am related to that buffoon_? Ignoring the argument, I stealthily maneuver my way for the fence behind the gardens. A large oak tree grows along the fence and provides the perfect leverage for getting over the 10-foot obstacle. I climb the tree and wait on an overlying branch while a guard makes his rounds. I glance back at the mansion while waiting for my moment to hop down from the tree unnoticed. I see that the window next to mine is still illuminated. A sad smile crosses my lips as I recall asking for Ellone to join us. She declined; saying that someone has to watch over Laguna. How she puts up with him only Hyne knows. The guard below had passed and started up a conversation with another guard, neglecting his duties of watching the area. I took off my pack and tossed it over into some bushes. I jumped off the branch and rolled on the landing to lessen the impact. I stayed down and remained completely still to see if the guards had heard me. Of course they hadn't, I am a trained SeeD. I smirked to myself at their complete obliviousness to what I had just done. Grabbing my pack from the bushes, I jogged to my strategically parked jeep. I started the engine and drove off to the diner in downtown Esthar where they were waiting for me.

I guess you could call us a group, a posse, a gang, whatever. A ragtag bunch of misfits really. We all grew up together and have been through some rough times. So when something as great as this came to me, it's only natural to include them. Irvine Kinneas is a self-proclaimed cowboy with an unrestrained attraction for females. I think that he has hit on every single woman in Esthar and even some very feminine looking men, if you catch my drift, to which he will never admit to. He is quite tall with long brown hair pulled back beneath a lopsided cowboy hat. He claims that the hat is a "chick magnet" so to speak, I think that he is just full of it. Selphie Tilmit, a girl with a bubbly vivacious attitude, always has some sort of smile on her face like she knows something that you don't. At first glance, one might call her a pip-squeak and dismiss her altogether, but she is bundle of energy that will knock you into next week if you are not careful. Zell Dincht is a spikey haired martial artist with a tattoo running down the left side of his face. Zell has, how do I put it, an unhealthy addiction/obsession with hotdogs. It seems that he is always eating them. Before I can even utter the word he has already eaten two of them, sickening if you ask me. Seifer Almasy is the biggest pain in the ass that I have ever met. He complains about everything but has a very short temper and can be very explosive. Seifer's answer to everything is his fist. He is basically a walking bag of hot air, don't get me wrong we are friends. Finally there is Quistis Trepe. Quistis is the brains of our little troupe. She has long blonde hair with model quality looks, to be honest. We've known each other the longest and act like siblings most of the time. She has the uncanny ability understand me the best out of everyone. As for me, I am just a nobody. Yes I am Squall Leonhart the "son" of Laguna Loire, the president of Esthar. I don't consider myself at all related to the man. He pretty much abandoned me, which is a story for another time. Right now I am late.

I pulled up to the parking lot of the diner and skidded to a stop. I got out and surveyed the familiar cars in the parking lot; it seemed that everyone is here. Opening the doors to the diner I spotted them in the back corner booth, the same one that we always get. The first thing that catches my eye is Irvine's characteristic cowboy hat pulled down low to cover his face. His arm is draped over a bored looking Selphie's shoulders. Next to Selphie is a snacking Zell. Seifer and Quistis sat on the other side of the booth with Seifer's arm lying atop the back cushion.

"Leonhart, I see that you have finally decided to grace us with your presence," Seifer spat out. Everyone else acknowledged my arrival by throwing a couple of nods my way. After Zell nodded, he leaned forward and started choking on his food, a hotdog not doubt. Selphie began whacking him on the back and Irvine just shook his head. As I was walking up to the booth, I witnessed Quistis plant her elbow firmly into Seifer's ribcage. "Ah, Hyne woman!"  
"Seifer shut it," Quistis calmly replied.  
"Shut it! You know, we could be out wreaking havoc on this town like we always do, but no, Commander Puberty over here wants to have a meeting, a little pow-wow," Seifer snapped.  
"Sorry to ruin your night Seifer," I replied sarcastically while taking a seat next to Quistis.  
"Squall, what's going on? Why the meeting?" Selphie asked.  
"Yeah, and why did you tell us to pack a bag and bring gil?" Irvine asked in agreement, while Zell just nodded his head, carefully this time.

This was not going to be easy. How do you explain to your friends that you are leaving in search of something, only, you just didn't know what yet.

"Look…this is gonna sound weird. I just…I have to get out of here. Lets go for a ride, get out of this place. Do something different for a change," I stammered out unsure of how they would react. Blank faces stared back at me.  
"You wanna what?" Seifer asked with a look of utter disgust.

I paused for a moment and let out a heavy sigh. I reached for my back pocket and pulled out five tickets slamming them on the table in front of us, spreading them out so that everyone could read them clearly.

"I'm leaving tonight on the last train that is heading for the coast. I'm going to Balamb," I stated with newfound confidence and a slight smile. "You guys remember the story about the fried chocobo chick, right?"  
"Yeah, some lady found a fried chocobo chick in her salad or something," Zell chimed in.  
"Right, and nobody actually knows who the woman is, she is just a friend of a friend of a friend," said Irvine.  
"Exactly, so we don't know for sure if that really happened or not," I replied sensing that they were gradually understanding what I was trying to tell them.

Selphie had a slight smile on her face and started to nod in agreement. "Oh, I get it. Squall, you want to go to Balamb so that you can find a fried chocobo chick in your salad? I'd rather eat a hotdog, and that's saying a lot."  
"I resent that," an offended Zell replied.

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.

"Squall what are you trying to say?" Quistis asked.

I patted my jacket pockets until I felt the thick piece of paper that would explain everything. I pulled it out of my left front pocket and held it up in my fingers. "This is what I'm trying to say. This is a map to a hidden beach. A fucking paradise! With the purest white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and seclusion from the rest of the world! Hell, there might be a lifetime supply of hotdogs for all I know!" At this, Zell perked his head up.

I could tell that everyone was still skeptical.

"Look, this place might not even exist, like the fried chocobo chick. But it's worth the shot right. The adventure of a lifetime here on this map, and in these tickets. Come on, what do you say?"

Silence swept over the table. Selphie looked to Irvine who returned her with a thoughtful glance. Zell stared at his empty plate with his mouth agape. Seifer turned to stare out the window. Quistis gave at me with a puzzled look. I looked back to my map still in my hands preparing myself mentally to make the journey alone. A few minutes later Selphie gave me her answer.

"I'm game Squall!" she squealed. I turned to Irvine who I knew would cave in as soon as Selphie agreed.  
"You know I can't let her go alone."

I looked at Zell with a faint smile on my face. He stared back at me with a pained expression. He held up a hand to shield his face from the rest of the table and suddenly started heaving and letting loose fake sobs. He reached his other hand out to grab and hold mine.

"Squall…you…you had me at hotdogs!"

I rolled my eyes and snatched my hand back.  
I looked to Quistis who just nodded her head in approval with a smile her face. "Sounds like fun."  
We all turned to Seifer who was still staring out the window. When he had realized that the attention had been shifted to him, he looked back at the table with his green eyes.

"Well, my night is shot anyway. The ticket is already paid for…so I might as well." Quistis shook her head and glared at him.  
"Seifer for once in your life stop being an ass! You know you want to go!"  
I smirked and threw him a ticket.  
"Good, we leave in thirty minutes."

And with that my quest had begun.

right, so there you have it. do what you must. review if you feel compelled to.  
ciao  
babble


	2. gepetto

Disclaimer: I don't own final fantasy or its characters.

**GR: thanks. I had actually thought of that after I posted. Oh well.**

Chapter 2  
_gepetto_

So we grabbed our gear and left the diner that night, not knowing for sure if and when we would return. We arrived at the train station on time and boarded immediately. Since I had bought the tickets ahead of time our seats were spaced out from each other, but that really didn't matter at this time of night, there were only a handful of people scattered throughout the train anyway.

I found a dark and tucked away window seat to slide into and prepared myself for some sleep, the only problem was that my thoughts were traveling through my head a mile a second. I tried to think of what I had forgot while packing, where we could go after getting off the train, the beach, whether or not I showered this morning, _wait…did I?_

Inevitably, thoughts of my tormented childhood began to plague my mind. Being bounced around from foster home to foster home takes its toll on you. I can't even remember the number of different homes that Ellone and I were sent to. It doesn't matter anyway; they all turned out the same with each family promising to be there for you and then dashing whatever hopes you had. At least I had Ellone with me; the courts were generous enough to keep us together. I guess they just felt remorseful given our situation. I held my head in my hands when I began to think of that night, the one where Hyne decided to totally fuck my life up. Even now, 15 years later, the memories and pain are too much to bear.

The train jolted forward as we left the station, bringing me out of my absentmindedness. The lights in the cabin began to dim. I stared out the window and watched the fluorescent city lights begin to blur together as we picked up speed. They soon became few and far between as we headed for the coast, the darkness enveloping us. I heard footsteps scuffling down the aisle in my direction and looked up to see Quistis coming towards me. She smiled at me and took the empty seat next to mine.

"Everyone else is already asleep," she stated. I nodded my head in acknowledgment and returned my attention back to the window.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"About what?" I asked with a quizzical stare.

"I know that you were thinking about it again Squall. You had that forlorn look on your face, the one you always get when you think about that night." A sad smile tugged at my lips. It was true; Quistis could always tell what I was thinking about. I turned my gaze to the floor.

"Not yet."

She smiled at me again and understood not to push it. It was the one subject that I couldn't speak about to anyone; not the many psychologists I was sent to, my best friends, or even Ellone.

"Alright then, so tell me about this map and secret beach," she said with an amused look upon her slender face. I thought for a moment, struggling to decide whether or not I should tell her. If I didn't tell her now, she would only pry it out of me later. I figured that no harm could be done, seeing as nobody was even awake. I would have to tell them all sooner or later.

_It only happened three days ago. I was at work and for some reason the only thing that I could think about was getting off of work. I think that I was actually counting down the time I had left. When I finally did leave, I decided for some reason to take a different route back to the mansion. A couple of miles down the road I came to a bar that I have never noticed before, so I stopped and pulled in for a drink. The bar, I think it was called The Thirsty Gnat, was a real shitter. I walked in and was slapped in the face by this Hyne-awful putrid scent._

_Smoke filled the air and created a thick haze. Dust and grime caked the windows. Paint was peeling off the walls. The lights were flickering on and off. The place was littered with drunks trying to hide their faces in the shadows, trying not to be seen. There was a triple triad game going on in the far corner. Two men squabbled over who had won an Ifrit card. The floorboards wailed out in pain as I cautiously approached the bar. The bartender was a short and stocky man with a greasy face and unkempt hair._

_"What'll it be," he spat out while placing a mug in front of me._

_"How about a clean mug for starters?" I asked while looking at stale beer that pooled at the bottom of the mug. He grunted and swiped the mug back up. Taking a towel that was draped over his shoulder, he wiped the inside of the mug and set it back down in front of me._

_"All we got is draft," he said laced with malice, clearly upset at my earlier request._

_"Draft is fine," I replied in a shaky voice. The bartender poured my drink then left to attend someone else. I stared at my drink warily for a couple of minutes. I finally gathered the courage to drink the draft sitting in front of me._

_Thirty minutes went by and I still hadn't finished the draft. I lifted the mug to my lips and stopped when I heard the door to the bar being flung open. I swiveled around to see who had entered and noticed a dingy man wearing tattered rags was waving his arms erratically; he stumbled in only to fall on a nearby table. He lay sprawled with his back on the table attempting to sing in a loud intangible voice. His words were garbled and slurred together as he tried in vain to sing. He soon gave up, or lost interest and started to scan the room with his pale eyes._

_He lolled his head around in circles and settled his line of vision on me. I quickly turned around in my seat praying to Hyne that this crazed drunk didn't notice me, or would soon forget. I took a swig of my draft and heard hurried steps coming towards me. The man slammed into the bar right next to me and tried to regain his balance. He eventually found the stool and turned his head quickly to stare at me._

_"Gotta smoke?" he asked hurriedly in a thick Trabian accent._

_"Uh…no," I said while taking another swig of my beer and staring at the liquor bottles behind the bar. I was amazed he could still talk coherently._

_"That's all right, got one on me," he said excitedly. He pulled out a joint and promptly lit it with a match. He took a long drag and exhaled the smoke quickly. I watched him as he smoked. He had quick but jerky movements, almost as though he a twitch. His hands were dirty and shaky as he brought the joint to his lips. He took another long drag and held his breath, slowly releasing the smoke. This seemed to calm him down a bit._

_"Name's Gepetto," he said while stretching his hand out towards me. I raised my eyebrow upon hearing his unusual name._

_"Squall," I replied while shaking his hand._

_"I bet ya never been to Balamb before, have ya laddy?"_

_"Nope, I sure haven't," I say, not really caring what he is talking about._

_"Well I have…and so has so has the rest-a society's scum," he replied with malice. I was taken aback by his change in demeanor. "Yeah, that's right laddy, scum. But ya gotta get past Balamb, get past Balamb." He now had a crazed look on his face as he stared at the rest of the joint in his hand. I could tell that he was hiding something. I stayed silent in hopes that he would soon loose interest in me, but fate had a different plan._

_"I was there ya know, my island, a paradise. Fuckin green trees everywhere…white sand, white sand beaches laddy. With…with animals, monkeys, parrots. A beach…a secluded beach…my beach. Warm crystal-fuckin' clear water…it was perfect…" he rambled on._

_"But they wouldn't listen, no, they wouldn't listen to me, those fuckin' bastards…parasites…every last one of them." He suddenly shifted his crazed eyes towards me. "Ya don't believe me, do you laddy?"_

_I stared at him quizically and shook my head saying, "no offense, but your botched up in the head, right?"_

_He just chuckled and cast his eyes back to his joint mumbling, "yeah… yeah."_

_He took one last drag of his joint and threw the rest of it into my mug. "Well, nice meetin' ya, Squall," he said while once again extending his hand toward me. I once again shook it, and with that he stumbled out of the bar. I sat for a while trying to contemplate what had just transpired. I finally got up from the bar and slapped some gil down. I turned to leave as a brawl began in the back corner, it seemed that someone had taken the winner's Ifrit card. Once out the door I looked towards my jeep and noticed that a small piece of paper had been lodged under one of my wiper blades._

_"Awe shit. Not another ticket," I muttered to myself._

_I walked up and grabbed it, but upon further inspection it felt heavier than a normal ticket. It was a thick sheet of canvas-like material folded into quarters. I unfolded it carefully and discovered handwritten notes and drawings. It was a map._

"What made you keep it?" Quistis asked me.

"Don't know. I guess it was the what if…what if he was telling the truth?"

What if the map would lead me to my unicorn, my flying pig, my snowball in Hell, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

The rest of the ride was uneventful. Quistis returned to her seat next to a sleeping Seifer. We pulled into the coastal city of Cortez around 3am. We exited the train. Zell, Irvine, Selphie, Seifer, and Quistis were still half-asleep and decided to find the nearest bench to collapse on. This left me to find us a boat that would take us to Balamb. The wharves and piers were void of any life, as everyone was asleep.

I scoured the docks for anyone that was still awake. As luck would have it, I was able to find a fishing boat that was about to head out to Balamb. A man from Fisherman's Horizon was setting off to catch a school of snapper off the western coast of Balamb. He reluctantly let us catch a ride for a price of 300 gil per person, and that's dirt cheap, trust me. We boarded the boat with Seifer complaining the entire time. He eventually passed out on the deck. I found a cozy spot and propped my pack under my head as a pillow. I fell fast asleep with a slight smile on my face, knowing that when we awoke, we would be in Balamb.

**so there you have it. do what you must.  
ciao**


	3. something new

Disclaimer: this will apply for the rest of fic. I don't own final fantasy or its characters, the movie "the beach", or the character Gepetto.

chapter 3  
_something new_

I awoke to the gentle rocking of the fishing boat. My eyes fluttered open to see the sun sitting on the horizon casting brilliant hues of reds and oranges across everything in sight. The ocean looked ablaze with fire by the reflecting sunlight dancing a delicate and symbiotic dance on top of the calm ocean waters. A slight breeze was playing with my hair, strands now tickling my face. I slowly crawled to my feet and began working my way to the bow of the boat to take in the breathtaking view.

While on my way, I noticed that five bodies sprawled out on the deck had impeded my path. The sight was truly one to behold with entangled limbs lying every which way. It soon became clear what I had forgot: my camera. In the mass of confusion that had ensued earlier in the still darkened morning, Selphie had managed to cozy up to a bulky fishing net with a stream of drool trailing from her mouth onto the net. One of her arms appeared to be tangled up in the netting while the other was clutching a familiar cowboy hat. Zell was sleeping, or rather snoring, at the base of the net with his head resting on the back of Irvine's shoulder.

Seifer apparently had cuddled up to the sleeping cowboy, clinging to the material of Irvine's shirt. One of his arms was draped unceremoniously over Irvine's waist. There was no doubt in my mind that Seifer had mistakenIrvine forQuistis sometime in the night. Irvine was sleeping on his stomach with his head turned to the side, which happened to be the same side Seifer was curled up to. Quistis rested on top of the fishing net with her legs resting on Zell's stomach. A devious smile crossed my lips. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. I maneuvered my way past the sleeping mass and crouched down next to Seifer and leaned close to his ear.

I heard a rustling noise from the netting and looked over the see both Selphie and Quistis beginning to stir out of their slumber. Selphie looked dazed and very confused at where she was. She was about to say something but I held my finger up to my lips.

"Mmm…Seifer I'm cold," I whispered in my best Quistis impression. Upon hearing this, the blonde nudged closer to Irvine and moved his draped arm from the cowboy's back upward until his hand found Zell's head. His fingers then began to twirl the spiky blonde's hair. To my surprise neither Zell nor Irvine stirred from Seifer's …advances. Quistis had a look of disgust on her face while Selphie was trying not to bust out in a fit of giggles.

"Sei, I'm still cold…hold me," I whispered only this time in more of a soft pout. Seifer then scooted so that he was flush against Irvine's side while tightening his grasp. Quistis' mouth was now agape while she laughed silently to herself. I was trying hard to contain myself while Selphie had both hands covering her mouth from the laughter dying to escape.

"Hmm…not now Selphie," Irvine groaned.

"…Selphie?" Seifer mumbled.

"…"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Selphie erupted into laughter while clutching her stomach and rolling onto her back. Quistis was wiping the tears away from her eyes and leaning forward. I stood up and crossed my arms on my chest laughing aloud and shaking my head.

"What the-" Irvine gasped.

"What's wrong with your voice Quistis?" Seifer asked, his eyes beginning to open.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Seifer shrieked out in shear horror as he realized his rather close proximity to Irvine instead of Quistis. He instantly rolled away from Irvine and jumped up running for the side of the boat. Irvine tuned pale as the realized that Selphie was not the one clinging to him. Zell's head fell to the deck as Irvine began to sit up from his position.

"Whoa … that was a trippy dream, I swear someone was rubbing my head," a confused Zell said.

Upon hearing this Seifer leaned over the side and began retching. Quistis promptly stood up and walked over to him.

"Seifer…are you … are you okay?" Quistis asked in between fits of laughter while placing one of her hands on his back.

"Ah!" Seifer immediately whirled around.

"Jumpy are we? You know, I would venture to guess that Quistis has you… oh how shall I put this…high strung?" I asked with an amused smile.

"On a tight leash!" Selphie spat out in between chuckles.

"Whipped is more like it," Zell stated.

"Yes Zell, I think you're right," I said while Selphie and I both started in a fit of laughter again. "Whipped seems to fit!"

He turned around slowly to glare at me. I could tell by his face that he was putting two and two together, deducing that I was indeed the culprit.

"Oh, you're fucking dead Leonhart!" He ran at me and grabbed the front of my shirt preparing to hit me. All I could do was laugh at him. Quistis had to come over to calm him down.

Irvine sat in a state of shock while Selphie crawled her way towards him. She placed his hat back on his head and tossed her arms around him, drawing him into a hug.

After enough time had passed and Seifer was done threatening my life, I walked to the bow of the boat. The sun was a little higher in the sky and Balamb was quickly coming into view. I leaned over the railing to peer down into the waves slamming into the boat. There was something hypnotic about watching the boat slice through the waves and seeing the spray fly out. I found myself not being able to tear my eyes away from the destructive force. I was so preoccupied with concentrating on the waves that I didn't notice Zell resting his arms on the railing right beside me.

"You know, I've never seen anyone so fascinated with waves before."

I turned to look at Zell and slowly brought myself upright. I racked my brain for a comeback, something about hotdogs no doubt. I was about to speak when Zell pointed ahead. I looked up and saw that we were pulling up to a dock where two dockhands were waiting with rope in hand.

"Yeah, so we were all kinda wondering what to do next," Zell said.

A smile crept onto my face. Balamb. We had finally arrived. I began thinking about this new adventure that I was embarking on. Stuff about where I'm from, who my family is, none of that mattered anymore. I felt like I had just cut myself loose from everything that I had ever known by crossing over the ocean and leaving Esthar behind. So after seven hours of virtually no sleep, we had arrived in Balamb. We came here looking for something more beautiful, more exciting, and yes I admit something more dangerous.

"Uh…we should probably find a place to stay, and I know that you are always hungry-"

"That's what I'm talkin about! Food! Man, I wasn't gonna say anything earlier, but I'm starved." Zell looked like a kid in a candy store at the mere mention of food. I just shook my head at his antics.

We unloaded and said our thanks to the guy who owned the boat. The slips on the dock were filled with all types of boats imaginable. Most of them were fishing boats that were preparing to head out for their catches. Men with gruff faces sat fixing their nets and hooks, most of them too busy to acknowledge us. As soon as we hit the beach, we all just stopped and stood in amazement. Selphie was twirling around in a circle trying to take it all in.

From a distance the water took on a blue-green tint that glistened and reflected the rays of the rising sun. The waves were beginning to break on the beach, creating a thunderous sound as they collapsed. The sand was clean and very fine-grained with fragments of shells scattered about. Large umbrellas were set up as people were already beginning to make their way down to the beach and claim their spots. Towering palm trees swayed gently from the winds coming in off the ocean. Lush green vegetation and tropical flowers dominated the landscape further inland.

I dropped my pack, took off my sandals, and walked down towards the water. I waded in until the water reached the bottom of my shorts and looked through the clear water down at my feet, and surprisingly I could see them. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the rest of the group in a daze, each with their mouths slightly agape at the sheer beauty they had just stumbled upon.

It took a while for everyone to get over the initial shock of finally arriving. I thought that it would be best to find some place to stay first, much to Zell's displeasure. We strolled into Balamb and were shocked to see merchants bartering at this time in the morning. I have heard that Balamb never sleeps, so I guess this proves it.

_So this is it, Balamb, good time city. Here, gil gets turned into counterfeit watches and even genuine scars if you don't watch out. This is where the hungry come to feed_, I thought to myself.

People from all over flooded into the streets, trying to make deals. The natives would try and sell you everything: luggage, cameras, batteries, postcards, you know, the same old shit. They even have those shirts that say "best family vacation ever" and "I came to Balamb and all I got was this shirt." The streets were aligned with open-air markets with meats and fruits that no one really knew how old they were.

"Got fresh mangos here! Get your mangos here!" _yeah, fresh my ass_. So the natives would come up to us and ask us to by this and try out that. Some were even grabbing our arms to get our attention. We just ignored them and kept walking until one native asked us a very unsettling question.

"Hey, you wanna drink pig's blood?" We all stopped and I turned to look at the man in disbelief. Quistis and Selphie had grossed out faces.

_Don't ever be afraid to try something_.

"Pig's blood? Ugh…no thanks," I stammered out still in shock of the question.

"Whats wrong, you scared? Afraid of something new?"

"Scared!" Seifer replied in a raised voice. "We're not scared of shit!"

"We just don't like the idea," I answered starting to get agitated.

"Ha! Like every tourist, you want it very safe, just like Esthar," the man said, his words dripping with disdain. Irvine and Seifer had begun to crack their knuckles while Zell was shooting the man death glares. So he could tell easily that we were from Esthar, but nobody gets away with insulting us.

"What the hell did you just say?" Irvine asked stepping closer to the man.

_So don't ever refuse an invitation or resist the unfamiliar._

"Bring on the pig's blood you crazy fuck," I spat out. I never step down from a challenge.

We followed the man into the back of his shop and to my surprise Quistis and Selphie had come as well. Looking past the back door I noticed wild pigs chained up outside, probably about to be butchered right out on the street. We came to a table were three men were sitting. They had stern looks on their faces; one was even dragging a dagger back and forth across the top of the table. We stopped and stood in front of the table, glaring at the men. The man with the dagger dropped it and smirked at us. He then placed six glasses onto the table. The native who had approached us came by with a jug and began filling the glasses to the rim with the crimson red liquid. I stared at the glass in front of me trying to quell my fears.

Without another thought, I grabbed the glass and began to chug the foul substance down. I could feel the blood ooze its way down my throat and into the pit of my stomach. Tipping the glass up, the remainder of the blood slid into my mouth where I swallowed every last drop of it. I cringed as the rancid liquid traveled through me and slammed my glass back onto the table. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and looked at everyone else. I nodded my head telling them that I was okay. Seifer grabbed his glass and began to chug the blood, followed by Irvine and a pale looking Zell. Quistis and Selphie exchanged glances and grabbed their glasses in front of them, each stepping up to the challenge.

_Never fail to be polite and never outstay your welcome_.

With a satisfied look on my face I looked over the three men sitting across the table. I guess that you could say that an understanding passed between us and we exchanged nods.

"Gentlemen…it was a pleasure." And with that we left the butcher's shop.

_Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience, and if it hurts, it's probably worth it_.

**so there you have it. i did take one scene from the movie, but modified it of course. what do you think?  
ciao**


	4. surf's up

Chapter 4  
_surf's up_

Balamb is mostly known to the outside world as a backpacker's paradise. People from all over flock here to soak it all in. The only downer is everyone else here has the same idea. We all come here and check into motels with all the comforts of home, but isn't that the reason for leaving in the first place? I just had to ask myself what is the point of that? 'What about us?' you ask? Well, we're headed for the great unknown. The only problem is that to get there we have to follow the regular tourist trail.

So here we stood at the front desk of The Traveler's Nest. The clerk was an elderly woman. She was rummaging through stacks of papers and drawers full of keys. I was leaning my elbows on the desk while rubbing my temples with my fingers in utter frustration. _Okay Hyne, I'll make you a deal. All I ask is to not hear that phrase again. In return I'll give up…cursing and drinking; maybe I'll start praying. Oh hell, at this point I'll give up all that I have and join a fucking monastery. Oops, that one slipped, I promise. Okay, starting right now. If you could just make her say-_

"Sorry, no vacancy," the clerk offered with a smile.

_Fucking hell…deals off_. I let my head drop and clasped the back of my neck in defeat. We had just spent the last hour trying to find some rooms for a couple of days. There was one last place to check out before we would resort to camping out on the beach for the night.

We walked into the Sumet Hotel looking thoroughly defeated. Selphie and I headed for the front desk while the others collapsed on the lounge couches and chairs; Seifer sitting as far away from Irvine as he could.

"Hi there! How can we help you?"

"Ah yes, we are hoping that you have vacancies," I droned out.

"As a matter of fact we do."

"Finally," Selphie mumbled.

"Do you have four rooms?" I asked.

"Yes we do. Let me get you your keys. Everything is on one level, so you shouldn't get lost. Well, here you go mister…?"

"Leon-"_ okay, think Squall, you left Esthar without a trace. Everyone is going to be looking for you, so don't use your real last name. _"-ar-do, Mr. Leonardo," I stammered out. Selphie stared at me with a puzzled look.

"Squall that's-OUCH!" Selphie yelped out in pain.

"Yes, that's the beach right over there, and look, there are even surfers out there, Selphie," I hurriedly said while pointing out the back door to divulge attention away from myself. Okay, so I stomped on her foot with my own. I can't have Selphie blabbing that my last name is Leonhart. Ever since the media found out that I was "related" to Laguna they've been hounding me. If anyone found out that I was here, I would no doubt be hunted down and brought back to Esthar by Laguna himself.

Three of the four rooms that we were given seemed to be clustered together while one room was located farther down the hallway. I promptly choose the separated room for myself, much to Seifer's discontent. Selphie and Irvine had taken room number three. Seifer and Quistis took room number four across the hall and Zell took room five right next to Selphie and Irvine.

While walking down the hall I began thinking of how easy that was, perhaps a little too easy. Why was it that all the other places were booked up and this place was nearly empty? A sloshing sound caught my attention as I looked down at my feet. Standing puddles of water collected in the hallway. An elderly woman was washing the walls with a mop, the mop head coming precariously close to a sparking light fixture.

"Geez, that's not safe you know!" I tried warning her.

She just nodded and smiled at me. I guess that she didn't understand. A worried look crossed my face as I realized that I was standing in a puddle of water, nonetheless, I picked up my pace towards my room. When I reached the door to my room I stood there with a look of disbelief. It was supposed to be room thirteen, only the one had lost a screw and was hanging upside down next to a tilted three. The paint on the wooden door was peeling off and the door handle was rusted. I placed the key in the lock and unlocked the door, or so I thought.

I tried to open the door but found that it was still locked. Shaking it off I tried again, getting the same result. I made another vain attempt, which yielded the same result again. _What the hell?_ Letting the frustration get the better of me, I began pounding my fist on the door. I stopped to take a couple of breathes in an attempt at letting my anger subside. I calmly placed the key in the lock and turned it slowly. _Click you bastard, Click!_

Thankfully the lock clicked and I swung the door open to find a very bare looking room. There was one full sized bed, one dresser, and a nightstand; no sink, mirror, or bathroom. I shook my head slowly in expectation of the bare room. This was the reason why the Sumet Hotel had plenty of vacancies; it's a real shit hole. _Whatever, it's a place for the night._

I threw my pack on the bed, pulled out a towel, and made a beeline for the shower. I was in desperate need of a quick shower, seeing as how we just spent the night on a fishing boat. We had all decided to settle in first before heading out to get some food, so my shower had to be quick. I turned off the water that was trickling from the showerhead, wrapped the towel around my waist, and grabbed my room key off a hook right outside the shower stall. While returning to my room I shook my head furiously to fling the water droplets from my hair. Wisps of chestnut brown strands fell before my eyes as I came up to my door, my nemesis.

I took a deep breath and slid the key into the keyhole. I closed my eyes and very slowly turned the key to unlock the door. Nothing happened. This is unbelievable. I opened my eyes to stare daggers at the lock, if only looks could kill, or in this case melt. I tried again, this time jiggling the door handle. Still nothing happened. I was so focused on the door that I faintly noticed the scuffling of sandals as some one was walking down the hall.

I looked up from my door to see a girl walking in my direction. She was wearing a triangle top-halter style bikini that was baby blue with white and navy flower prints. Her bikini bottoms of the same material were positioned right below her hipbones, showing a fair amount of skin. Her bottoms were only slightly covered by low riding, long black board shorts with two thick red stripes running up the sides, they seemed almost too big for her as they almost approached her knees.

Her board shorts were baggy and hung precariously to her hips with the drawstring left untied. She had long raven black hair that clung to her neck and shoulders. Her skin was flawless with a deep tan, and her muscles were toned to perfection. Under one of her arms she was carrying a white surfboard with a ring of yellow and orange flames around the sides. As she walked down the hall her hips swayed rhythmically, pulling me into a trance that I couldn't pry my eyes from.

My heartbeat started to pick up as she continued walking towards me. _For Hyne's sake Squall, get a hold of yourself!_ Our eyes meet for a brief second as she looked up. She smiled warmly at me, and it was then that I noticed I had been starring at her this entire time. I quickly looked back at my door and winced at my stupidity.

She stopped at the room right next to mine and propped her board up against the door while fishing around in her pockets for her key. I tried to bring my focus back to unlocking my door but couldn't help myself from glancing back at her and falling into an euphoric stupor. While in the midst of my daze, the key slipped out of my hand and clamored onto the floor jolting my attention away from her.

_Smooth Squall, real smooth. _I quickly picked up my keys and tried in vain to pretend that nothing happened. I then noticed that she began walking over to me. She took the key out of my hand and leaned up against the doorframe. A pleased smirk graced her soft lips, as she looked me over and pulled her dampened hair back behind her with her other hand. Her body was still glistening from the water droplets that graced her form.

I looked into her ebony eyes and once again found it hard to pry my attention away from her. Time started to slow as the flickering hallway lights began to fade out from my view. It's like I was honing in on her and only her while nothing else seemed to matter, well, almost nothing. _Wait, what is she smirking at?_

Yeah, everything except for the realization that I was only wearing a towel that had slipped down a bit and was hugging my hips. My face began to heat up as I smiled nervously and crossed my arms over my chest. She chuckled and stepped closer to the door, closer to me.

"Yeah, see these doors can be kind of tricky. You've got to…pull the door in toward you…and then unlock it," she said while expertly unlocking my door. I nodded my head slowly in embarrassment. Her proximity to me was getting the better of my senses. I guess she noticed it too as she stood there glancing up at me with her eyes. She smiled again and tossed the keys at my chest while retreating to her room.

"You're welcome," she said over her shoulder.

"Thanks," I mumbled out.

As soon as she closed her door I ran a hand down my face at my pitiful display. _Great now she thinks I'm certifiable_. I entered my room and shut the door behind me. I grabbed a gray tank top and my black swimming trunks from my pack and dressed quickly. Before leaving, I tucked the map away under the mattress and grabbed my sunglasses.

I caught up with the rest of the gang at a small and shaded outside eatery across the street from Sumet's. It looked like they had already ordered.

"What took you so long?" Seifer asked as I approached them.

"Took a shower." I said while sitting down next to Selphie. What, it's the truth, just not all of it. I decided that it would be best to not discuss my…delay.

"We couldn't wait any longer so we ordered some food. We just got you some rice and chicken." Quistis said.

"Thanks." I looked up and saw Zell straight across from me annihilating his plate of food that sat in front of him. I just shook my head slowly at the disgusting display. _No wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend_.

The meal was pretty uneventful and the food was terrible. The chicken was so dry that I thought I was eating a hunk of leather. I'm not complaining though. Hey, it's food right? Anyway, Selphie and Irvine begged me to tell them how I got hold of the map. So I told them the story and about Gepetto.

"And you believe him?" Irvine asked.

"At first, no, I just thought he was a crazy fuck. But that's the easy answer. It was easier to just dismiss him altogether. What if he's right, you know? What if there is this perfect beach secluded from the rest of the world? It's worth finding out, right?" I paused to see if anyone would shoot down my reasoning while rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know…" I mumbled out. I guess that everyone agreed with me, since they all had thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"Look, if you guys…don't want to go through with this…just let me know, otherwi-"

"Squall, we're going with you. We wouldn't have come this far if we didn't believe you," Quistis interrupted.

Quistis is right, she always is. They do believe me, they always have. No one even questioned me when I told them about the beach just last night at the diner. That's the way it has always been though. In faith, they had always believed me, never doubting. Growing up all we had was each other, so we became a family. Granted a dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless. And that motto "where one goes, we all go" I guess you could apply it to us.

We finished up eating and headed back to the Sumet Hotel. While everyone else went to go change I wandered around behind Sumet's toward the ocean. To my surprise there was a deck equipped with deckchairs, tables, umbrellas, and a full bar. I picked out a deck chair and tossed a towel I had picked up from my room into it. I took off my sunglasses and peeled off my tank, tossing them on my towel.

I walked down the steps of the deck onto the hot sand and realized that the temperature had risen substantially from the early morning. While heading for the water I started to notice that the wind had picked up and the waves had grown since this morning. The surfers were out in large numbers waiting for the perfect wave to come along. I waded out into the water and dove under a wave as it approached, the cool water sending a shiver throughout my body. I glided through the water with my arms stretched out above my head. As my momentum slowed, I quickly thrust my arms to my side and picked up speed again.

The sounds of the waves rolling above me flooded my senses, along with the gentle pull and tug of the water surrounding me. A few feet below my floating body was a thriving reef, a metropolis for aquatic life represented in a kaleidoscope of colors. Schools of fish expertly swam in formations and the long arms of coral plants swayed in the water. A large stingray swam beside me, probably just curious and wanted to see what I was. I took a closer look at the reef and saw two hermit crabs fighting each other for a new shell. The winner proudly claimed his prized while the defeated crab chased after him.

My lack of oxygen caught my attention as my lungs began burning. I swam up hard and broke the surface, gasping for air.

"Oh shit! WATCH OUT!"

I turned towards the direction of the familiar sounding voice only to see a blur of white barreling at a high speed right for my head.

THUD

_Ouch! What the hell happened? Whoa… so sleepy all… of a sudden. Getting…sleepy…sleep…_

**so there you have it  
ciao**


	5. halos and car bombs

Chapter 5  
_halos and car bombs_

"Oh my hyne…oh my hyne…come on!" an exhausted voice let out, just barely reaching my ears.

"You sure you know what you doing?"

"Yes I…know what I'm…doing! Just give him room!"

_What the…what's…going on? Who's saying that? Wait…why can't I move? Or open my eyes? Alright Squall, this isn't funny. Wake UP! What the fuck is THAT!_

As my consciousness slowly started to return to me, I felt immense thrusting pressure being applied to my abdomen. I suddenly felt the need for air. I tried opening my mouth to take in a breath, but nothing happened. Almost immediately some liquid began rising from my throat and my body started to jolt violently. I turned my head to the side and started to cough up water.

"There we go! Cough it up."

I made an attempt to roll over on my side and felt someone pushing against my back, aiding my movements. After all of the water had been expelled I took in a sharp breath, which in turn made me cough and hack violently.

"Whoa, take it easy. Calm down. Try and take slow breathes."

I could just barely make out the words that were being spoken. My senses slowly started to kick in. I was lying on my left side, my head resting on my arm. My right arm fell over my body and landed on something damp and mushy. I could feel water gently lapping up around my legs.

"Easy does it there. Slow breathes."

The voice was coming in a little clearer now, but was still slightly muffled. Somehow it seemed familiar, so soothing and calm. My breathing slowed and the violent coughs began to dissipate. I tried opening my eyes, but they wouldn't budge. Someone grabbed my right side and cradled my head as they rolled me over and onto my back. I noticed that I was lying on top of something hard.

I heard some muffled noises behind me, but I couldn't make them out. With my breathing returning to normal, I decided to try and open my eyes again. They slowly fluttered open only to be seared by the burning sun. I winced in pain and brought my hand up over my eyes. Someone moved against my side and leaned over my body. A shadow descended down upon me as they blocked out the sun from my face.

"Here…this might help," a soft voice said.

I once again tried opening my eyes, this time more slowly. Light flooded my vision and I could see a silhouetted figure leaning over me. I started to feel dripping water hit my cheeks and neck. Blinking my eyes, the figure started to come into focus. An angelic figure loomed over me with a halo shining overhead. I couldn't tell if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not. Long dark hair shrouded the figure's face. I blinked one more time and caught my breath.

It was her.

I opened my eyes fully and stared back into soft brown eyes. The sunlight enveloped her, giving her a natural glow. Her hair was wet and fell forward in front of her. Water droplets were dripping from the tips of her hair onto my face. I watched as relief washed over her face.

"Am I dead?" I asked groggily.

"Uh, no, thank hyne," she chuckled out nervously, "but you did come close. You should probably stay lying down for a bit becau-"

While she was talking I sat up, and instantly regretted the move. A wave of throbbing pain reverberated throughout my head, my mouth dropping wide open. I swear that a jackhammer was hammering on my head. I winced in pain and gritted my teeth together. My right hand shot up to just above my ear, my fingers meeting a warm liquid. I pulled my hand down and stared at my bloody fingers. A dizzy and lightheaded feeling suddenly overtook me.

_Holy shit…what happened to me?_

"Like I was saying, because you've got a pretty nasty gash above your ear there," she said while pointing to my right ear.

"Thanks for the warning" I deadpanned.

"Well, I tried to tell you."

I looked around at my surroundings and noticed that we were on the beach and that I was sitting on top of a white surfboard. Waves were gently lapping up against my lower legs. I reached my hand up to my head again as I tried to recall what happened. _Okay, so I was swimming. I had to come up for air. Someone called out to me. Blur of white. Then I felt really sleepy, and I guess blacked out. Wait, blur of white._ I looked down at the board I was sitting on. I slowly looked over to where she was kneeling down beside me.

"YOU! It was you!" I cried out accusingly. "You tried to kill me!"

"…" she was obviously taken aback by my sudden outburst. She opened her mouth and glared at me. "Listen, you popped up like a jack-in-the-box from out of nowhere!"

"But you were heading right for me!"

"Hey, you're lucky that I even saw your ass and swerved to not hit you head on! If I hadn't of seen you, your head would be fish food by now. I didn't have to swerve you know. There are plenty of other surfers out there that would've hit you head on and not given you a second thought." Her words were heated as she took offense to my accusation.

_Well good job Squall. Pick a fight with a girl that you don't even know. If it weren't for her, you'd be dead right now._ I grimaced at the thought of being saved by a girl. I shut my eyes and slowly nodded my head, turning my head away from her. I sighed in defeat.

"So what happened?" I asked while returning my gaze to her.

"You sure you want to know?" she asked in a calmer tone. I just nodded in response.

"Well, like I said, I swerved into the wave to try and avoid hitting you. I guess that I did hit you, you pretty much were knocked out immediately." She paused as she tried to recall what happened next.

"Uh, I fell into the wave as it came crashing down on me. I was sucked under and slammed down against the reef, where I got these…" She repositioned herself so that she was sitting next to me and revealed cuts and gashes on her knee and lower leg.

"Shit, are you alright!" I exclaimed. I was more shocked that she was so calm about the whole situation.

"Yeah, it just stings a bit. I've had worse," she said while examining her wounds.

"Anyway, when I broke the surface I didn't see you anywhere. So I dove down and saw you caught or tangled up in the reef. I wiggled you free and brought you to the surface where I noticed that you weren't conscious. My leash was still attached to my ankle. So I yanked on it to bring the board to me and hauled your deadweight on top of it." She chuckled at the last part. A small smile formed on my lips at the thought of this girl trying to lift my up onto her surfboard.

"After a couple of tries, I finally got you on top of my board and pushed it to shore. Once on the shore, you weren't breathing. I guessed that you had swallowed a lot of water, so I…I uh…did the Heimlich on you." She turned her head away from me in embarrassment. _Ah, that would explain the thrusting_. I let out a couple chuckles.

"I heard other voices though," I said.

"Oh, well it appears that unconscious victims can draw large crowds. Everyone flocked over to us to see if you were dead. As soon as you came to, they all dispersed. I guess they were disappointed." The last part was said in disgust. "I mean, no one even offered a hand in helping me! What scum bags!"

I just sat there thinking about what she was saying. _Society's scum, just like Gepetto had said_.

An awkward silence passed between us as I was contemplating how close to death I had just come to. She just sat next to me and shoved her feet into the dampened sand. She finally looked over to me.

"We should probably get that cleaned up. Come on. Can you stand?" she asked while getting up.

I bent my legs and stood up, but the lightheadedness hit me like a ton of bricks. I closed my eyes and started to sway backwards. I was about to fall back when she grabbed onto my shoulders steadying me.

"Whoa! Okay, let's take this easy. One step at a time, alright?"

She moved to my right side and slung my upper arm around her shoulders. Her left arm wrapped around my waist.

"If you get dizzy, just lean on me."

"You're the one I should be helping. Look your limping." I said while gradually leaning more of my weight onto her, the dizziness taking over again.

"I'm fine; you on the other hand, can hardly stand let alone walk."

"Whatever…where are we heading anyway?" I asked with my eyes closed and my head bobbing back and forth.

"Towards the nearest first-aid kit. One of our spectators told me that the Crow's Nest, the bar next door to Sumet's has one," she replied.

I suddenly felt drained of energy and shifted even more of my weight onto her as we hobbled up the beach. My head was so close to her that the smell of her hair intoxicated my senses. _Mmm…coconut_. I started to feel very tired. My feet caught on each other and my body lunged forward. I didn't have the energy left to catch myself.

"Agh! Gotcha," she yelped out, the pain in her voice audible.

"Sorry," I mumbled out.

"That's alright. We're almost there now. Just a couple more steps."

We hobbled up to an outside bar with empty barstools. My eyes focused on one and my body zeroed in on it, collapsing in a heap of exhaustion onto it.

"Okay, wait here I'll go and get the first-aid kit," she said while trying to catch her breath.

I watched her figure begin to retreat from my side. I hadn't even realized that she was wearing the same outfit I had seen her in this morning. _She's not that bad. Not bad at all…_

"Wait, I'll take an Estharian car bomb while you're in there."

She just shook her head and entered the building. As she opened the doors, loud thumping music pierced my ears, making me wince in pain. I leaned forward onto the bar and held my head in my hands. I bent my legs and rested them on the rungs.

_How in the hell am I going to explain this to the gang. 'Uh, yeah, I was hit by some girl who was surfing.' Yeah, that sounds lame. How about 'I got into a fight with some guy and he pulled out a switchblade on me, slicing me right above the ear.' No, still sounds lame_.

While trying to come up with a good excuse, the backdoor opened and she emerged carrying the first-aid kit in one hand and a wad of paper towels in the other.

"Here, hold this up to your cut. We need to stop the bleeding first," she said while handing me some paper towels.

I did as I was told while she took out some gauze, a bottle of liquid, some cotton swabs, and bandage wraps.

"What's that?" I asked pointing to the bottle.

"It's to clean your cut. Here, let me see if the bleeding stopped."

_To clean my cut. Wait a minute that usually means searing pain_. I moved my head away from her as she reached out for the paper towels I was holding to my cut.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean that I've already been through enough pain today and I don't wish to have my flesh burned with that," I said while pointing to the bottle.

"Oh this?" she turned the bottle away from me so that I couldn't see the label and picked it up in her hand. "This won't hurt, I promise," she said with a sly smile.

"Bullshit it won't."

"Okay, it will sting for just a little bit, but I have to put it on you otherwise your cut will be infected. Let's be honest, who knows what kind of bacteria floats around in Balamb. I mean have you seen some of the people that come out here at night?"

The thought grossed me out enough that I slowly removed the paper towels from my cut. She stepped closer to me.

"Alright, I'll let you put that on me under one condition."

"What's that?" she asked while looking at my wound.

"You have to give me a countdown so that I can prepare myself."

"A countdown, are you serious?" she asked. I nodded my head in response.

"Okay, I'll start from three," she said while unscrewing the cap to the bottle and pouring some of the liquid out onto a cotton swab. She looked up at me and silently asked if I was ready. I just stared at the cotton swab.

"No wait, start from five. Yeah, NO, from ten. Start from ten," I said.

"Alright, ten it is," she replied while looking right into my eyes.

"Ten…nine…"

While counting down she took a step closer, the top of her thigh touching my knee. I stared into her warm and inviting eyes. A small smile crept onto her face.

"Eight…seven…six…"

Again she took another step forward, this time stepping in between my legs. The inside of my knees brushed against her stomach. I tried to hide the smile that was forcing its way through my lips. I continued to stare into her eyes, being pulled in by their allure. She leaned her upper body in towards me while still holding our gaze.

"Five…four…" she whispered.

Before I knew it, she grabbed the sides of my head and applied the cotton swab to my cut.

"OWWWW!" I cried out in pain. She stood there with a devious smile on her face before laughing out loud.

"That's not fair, you cheated."

"Hey, if I had actually reached 'one' you never would've let me apply the swab," she said through fits of laughter.

"Besides, I had to distract you some how. It worked right? You don't even feel it, do you?" she asked triumphantly.

Defeated and outsmarted, I darted my eyes away from her. She smirked and reached back to grab the bandage wraps and some gauze. She still hadn't moved from her position, and I began wondering why. She pulled the swab away and replaced it with some fresh gauze. She then began to wrap my head with a couple of the bandages. Her movements were slow and precise, almost as if she was experienced at this.

"Hey, what's your name anyway? I mean, if I'm going to be saving you and all, I should at least know your name." she said with her smirk still on her face.

"Name's Squall," I said while returning my gaze towards her.

"Hmm, Squall, that's an interesting name, sounds familiar. Mine's Rinoa by the way."

"Rinoa," I said, trying it out. I was quite amazed at how easily it rolled off my tongue.

"Yep, that's me," she said absentmindedly while inspecting her doctoring job. In approval she nodded her head. She stepped back and sat on the barstool next to mine, tending to her own wounds. In some odd way, I felt relieved that she backed away from me.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. She looked up at me and smiled warmly.

"No, thanks, I think I can handle it," she said politely.

"Oh, you seem pretty skilled at this kind of stuff," I said while watching her wipe off the blood and clean her cuts.

"Thanks. That's what three years of medical school training gets you." I nodded and watched as she skillfully bandaged up her cuts.

She finished up and returned inside to drop off the first-aid kit. I looked back towards Sumet's and saw Irvine and Selphie walking around aimlessly, searching for me no doubt. Zell had discovered Rinoa's surfboard and was inspecting it. Rinoa returned from inside and gave me a quizzical look.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, my friends, their looking for me, and one of them has taken a liking to your surfboard, it would seem," I said while point in their direction. Rinoa followed my gaze.

"Well then, shall we? Do you think you can walk?" she asked.

"Yeah I think so," I replied while standing up slowly. I grabbed hold of the bar to steady myself. Rinoa took a step forward to make sure that I didn't fall over. "I got it."

We left the Crow's Nest and slowly headed over towards Irvine and Selphie. Rinoa was still visibly limping and trying not to show any outward signs of pain. I seemed to be doing much better, walking under my own power, very slowly.

"SQUALL!" Selphie yelled out. Upon seeing me she sprinted across the sand towards us while Irvine trotted over. I winced when I saw her coming closer, knowing that she would wrap her arms around me in an air-tight hug and crack all of my ribs. Thankfully Selphie skidded to a stop right in front of me when she noticed the bandage around my head.

"Oh my hyne! What happened?" Selphie worryingly asked. Quistis, Seifer, and Zell caught sight of us and jogged over to meet us. And then the barrage of questions started.

"What happened?"

"Where were you?"

"Are you okay?"

"Does that hurt?"

"Who is this?"

"What happened to her?"

"Look what I found, a surfboard!" Zell exclaimed. "Ah sick, its got blood on it!"

I looked to Rinoa who stared up at me with an amused smile on her face.

"Uh, yeah…guys this is Rinoa. Rinoa this is Zell, Irvine, Selphie, Quistis, and Seifer."

"Wait a minute, Rinoa Heartilly?" Zell asked. "As in three-time Balamb Pipeline winner and runner up at the Pahoehoe Pro, Rinoa Heartilly?" We all stared at Zell with shocked faces.

"Uh, wow…I've never been approached that way, but yes, that's me, guilty as charged" Rinoa replied while chuckling at Zell's antics.

"Oh yeah, you've been on the cover of SG and Boardz like twenty times!" Selphie said in awe. "Irvy you know!"

"Uh Surf Girls, yeah, right…oh yeah…" Irvine replied, the last part said with his patented southern drawl. "Issue 21, front page and pages six through twelve, nice spread by the way." To this Rinoa crossed her arms and smiled embarrassedly.

"Wow, guys she's a surfing legend!" Zell proclaimed proudly.

"I wouldn't go that far…" she softly replied.

I looked back at Rinoa who was looking down at her feet and shifting her weight from side to side, getting a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"Hey, why don't we go sit down, and I'll tell you all what happened. Ah, Zell, why don't you bring Rinoa's board with us."

Selphie, Irvine, and Zell just stared at Rinoa in awe. I just ignored them walked up to the deckchair where I had left my stuff. Quitis and Seifer followed behind me personally introducing themselves to Rinoa and congratulating her on her accomplishments. I sat down in my deckchair and watched as they followed my lead. Selphie, Irvine, and Zell took seats next to me. I found myself glancing at Rinoa as she talked with Quistis and Seifer. Our eyes met as she took a seat straight across from me, I turned my head quickly, hoping that she didn't catch me.

"So, what happened to you guys?" Quistis asked.

"Well…"

So we told them, or Rinoa told them is more like it. I watched as Rinoa explained what happened. She liked to move her arms about while explaining; she became so full of life. Everyone was glued to the story, even Seifer. I suddenly felt very sleepy, so I reclined in my deckchair and tried to drift off to sleep. My thoughts kept coming back to Rinoa though.

_Surfing legend? Why didn't she tell me? How does everyone else know? More importantly, why does Irvine has issues of Surf Girls memorized? Hell, he probably has boxes of magazines stored away that we don't even know about._

Something that I had though about earlier when we first arrived in Balamb suddenly stuck out in my mind.

_What was it, oh yeah, 'just keep your mind open and suck in the experience, and if it hurts, it's probably worth it.' Well, this experience hurt like hell, fuck, it nearly killed me. It must be worth it though_.

**so there you have it. hope you enjoyed it. what did you think?  
ciao**


	6. crashing waves

Chapter 6  
_crashing waves_

We like to think that our lives are perfect. That we have the perfect family, the perfect job, the perfect house with the white picket fence, the perfect friends, the perfect boyfriend, or whatever it may be. It's all just a façade. Everyone has something to hide, something that would shatter the pedestal that everyone places you on.

It's strange how in one day your world can turn upside down. One moment you're riding the perfect wave, and the next it's crashing down upon you. I should have known something major would happen today, the water was way too calm this morning.

When I told them the story of why Squall and I were bandaged up I was expecting the worst. I mean, I had nearly killed their friend. I was expecting an angry mob with pitchforks chasing after me or to be burned at the stakes, but instead they thanked me for what I did. Selphie told me that no one else would ever consider doing something like that for one of them. _Strange_.

So here I am a couple of hours later in a smoky bar sharing a round of drinks with six…friends, strangers only hours earlier.

"…that's when Squall lost the bet and had to strip down and streak buck naked down Sixth Street!" Irvine exclaimed proudly. The entire table erupted into laughter as they recalled the story. Squall was shooting death glares at Irvine.

I was only partly paying attention to the story but laughed anyway. My thoughts were more preoccupied. I looked across the table at Squall. His wound was still bandaged, but his brown unruly locks hid the bandage well from view. He shook his head slightly at the embarrassment of Irvine's story, obviously not too comfortable with all the attention directed at him. I noticed for the first time tonight that he was wearing a black t-shirt. _That's a shame…wait, what?_

Sure I've seen plenty of half-naked guys before on the beach, but for some reason seeing Squall was different. His body wasn't overly muscular like most of the guys I've seen before, obviously hawked up on steroids to impress girls. His muscles were toned and well defined. The image of him in his bath towel suddenly entered my mind. He glanced over at me and our eyes met. I felt my cheeks heat up under his intense observation with his piercing blue eyes.

"So Rinoa, are you still with Connor Mathis?" Zell asked. "How long has it been?"

Ah, Connor Mathis, my "perfect" boyfriend, my crashing wave. Yeah we were "together" for a year. Connor is also a surfer, he just so happens to be the one surfer that every girl swoons over. At first we couldn't be separated and the press would hound and follow us, but the last couple of months have just become a routine. We would only appear together to save face in the press because that's what everyone else wants to see, a perfect couple. Our relationship started out too fast and it crashed and burned a while ago. He has been cheating on me and today I caught him in the act.

"Connor? Ah…we're not together any more… as of today." What's the point in trying to deny it anymore. I swirled the contents of my glass around and took a gulp of my drink anticipating the next question to come.

"Oh no, what happened?" Selphie asked. I began to run the tip of my finger around the rim of my glass. _Where do I begin?_

"It's been over for a while actually. You see, my manager signed me up for the Balamb International this weekend so that is why we are here. I just found out yesterday that my manager, that bloodsucking asshole that he is, has been stealing money from me, so I fired him. He then went and badmouthed me to my sponors and spread some ugly rumors. This morning I was officially dropped from the competition.

"The only reason Connor came here with me is for the face time with the press. Anyway, this morning I thought that I would calm my nerves and catch a few waves. While waiting for the surf to pick up, I looked back to shore and saw Connor with his tongue down some girl's throat."

"What a shitkicker. Do you want us to kick his ass?" Zell asked

"No Zell, that won't be necessary. I already did that." I smiled while taking another gulp of my drink.

"What did you do?" Irvine asked.

"I paddled back to shore, calmly walked up to him with my board under my arm, tapped on his shoulder and said something to the effect of 'you should know it's really puny.' I then smiled at him and knocked him out with my board."

"Damn girl!" Seifer exclaimed. Everyone else was a little taken back by what I had just told them. Squall just looked amused and arched one eyebrow.

"Hell yeah, I would have kicked his balls in!" Selphie proclaimed. I laughed at her and glanced at Irvine who cringed at the thought.

"I then went back to our room, gathered up all of his stuff and tossed them out onto the beach. That's actually when I first met Squall."

Everyone gave me a puzzled look and then slowly shifted their gaze to Squall. He squirmed and looked down at his beer. He coughed and looked up to me.

"Ugh, yeah, we just passed each other in the hall," he said nonchalantly while staring at me. I just nodded in agreement. I guess Squall hadn't told them the truth.

Music began playing as a local band started tuning their instruments. Squall stood up and walked over behind me. He put his hands on the back of my chair and leaned over to my ear.

"Another drink?" he asked, his warm breath sending shivers down my back. The smell of alcohol on his breath flooded my senses. I turned slowly towards him, our mouths inches apart. I looked up into his eyes and couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Sure," I said loud enough for him to hear over the music. H nodded and stood up looking back at the table, everyone else putting in another drink order. He turned and left for the bar.

"Okay I'm going with five minutes," Irvine said.

"No way, he is a fucking walking mummy…fifteen minutes at best," Seifer spat out.

"I'm going to go with Irvine on this one," Selphie chimed.

"Well there's a shocker," Seifer replied.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked in utter confusion.

"We're betting on how long it will be until Squall has a girl clinging to his arm," Zell said.

"See Rinoa, Squall attracts women like a moth to a flame. There's just something about him," Quistis tried to explain.

"He's a ladies man?" I asked in shock.

"No, Hell no!" Irvine shouted in disgust. "Girls just fawn over him. It's sickening really."

"Hey, look at that. Look at that! He's got a huge bandage on his head and yet a girl is already talking to him. How does he do it?" Zell exclaimed.

I turned around and looked towards the bar. Sure enough Squall, with his black t-shirt and baggy cargo shorts, was leaning over the bar waiting for the drinks and some blonde girl was talking to him. After a couple of minutes she moved in closer to him as the music began to pick up and sure enough, began clinging to his arm.

"What did I tell you?" Irvine said proudly, proving his point and winning the bet.

"Fuck up Kinneas," Seifer spouted out while slapping some gil on the table.

I turned back around and finished off the contents of my drink, just as another one was placed down in front of me.

"Thanks," I said while peering over my shoulder at Squall.

"No problem," he replied while sitting down across from me.

"You owe me twenty gil Squall," Siefer said as he grabbed his drink out of Squall's hand.

"Just stop betting against me," he replied in a cocky manner.

**Thirty minutes and two beers later…**

Everything was going fine, just fine, until she had to walk in the bar and over towards our table. I was in the middle of telling a story when I felt a cold liquid splashed into my face and onto my tank top. _This day just keeps getting better_.

"Oops! Oh well, by the way, Connor sends his love."

It was her, the girl I had seen Connor with earlier. I slowly stood up and turned around to face her. My anger started to swell inside. I had been waiting for this moment to come for months. Every lie Connor ever told me all culminated to this point. The band stopped playing and the noisy conversations were silenced as everyone focused on us.

"What the fuck!" Squall yelled out. Everyone slowly got up from their seats.

"It's alright, I can handle this," I calmly said to Squall. I was amazed to see that Squall and the others were coming to my aide. In this I found new resolve. I turned back towards her taking a step forward and sizing her up. She was wearing a black halter top and a denim mini skirt. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a tight bun. She had a smug look on her face, a little too smug. I slowly wiped the remaining liquid from my face away with a paper towel.

"So you must be Connor's slut, right?" I asked while pointing at her. She scoffed and didn't respond.

"Oh, I'm sorry, how rude of me not to introduce you. Guys, this is Connor's slut," I said while looking over the table. I looked back to her saying, "and you're not important enough to know their names." She just rolled her eyes.

"It's Lisa," she spat out.

"It doesn't matter," I replied with an amused look plastered on my face. I could tell she was starting to get agitated.

"You know he was just using you right? You didn't mean shit to him," she said.

"Oh, and I suppose you do?" I looked her over again. She was sporting a disgusting orange colored fake tan. Her skirt was just short enough to reveal some scarring on her legs, from plastic surgery no doubt. And her breast were practically busting out of her top.

"Let me guess. You'll date him a couple of times, get him to buy you shit, and then ask him to pay for the surgery to correct what's already been done to your lips, because they did a shitty bang-up job on those," I paused to gage her reaction. Her eyes widened in shock.

"I see that nobody had the balls to tell you that, huh?" I asked. "The truth must hurt."

"What…what are you talking about!" she stuttered out.

"I got news for you honey. Connor Mathis is only a five figure surfer which is pretty pathetic in the surfing world. No wonder he was using me, he can barely stand on a surfboard. I bet you didn't know that did you? So he wouldn't be able to pay for any more of your surgeries, yet he could splurge and get you a longer skirt to cover up those hideous scars on your legs."

I couldn't believe what was coming out of my mouth. Everything that was coming to my mind just flew out of my mouth without me ever comprehending them. Must be the alcohol. Everyone in the bar surrounding us was cheering at what I was saying. It was invigorating, finally being able to say whatever the fuck I wanted to say without having to worry about the press. At this point my career is shattered.

Shocked she turned around to a group of her friends that stood behind her while the crowd continued howling and heckling her. Selphie and Quistis were holding their stomachs from laughing so hard. I waited patiently for her response with a smirk on my face. She finally turned around to face me.

"He tells me all the time that he never even cared for you. You were just an easy fuck, the first whore to jump in his bed!" she spat at me with a devilish grin.

In all honesty, that should have hurt me, but her comment didn't even phase me. I was so blinded by my shear hatred for this woman that I just cocked my head to the side and peered at her. Suddenly an idea hit me.

"Have you ever had a nose job?" I asked in all seriousness. Stunned by my sudden change in tactic she just shook her head.

After a second of thought I wound my right arm back and unleashed a devastating right hook at point blank range. My fist smashed into her nose and I heard a cracking noise. She flew back into her group of friends and hit the floor with a loud thud while wailing out in pain. I shook my fist and the bar erupted once again in a thunderous noise drowning out her cries.

"Oh shit," I said while shaking my head, "get up, come on, get her up." I instructed her friends. They finally got her on her feet after a few vain attempts. Her cries became nothing more than pathetic whimpers.

"Now I'm not doing this because I feel sorry for you, but you happened to catch me on a day where I am feeling incredibly helpful. So…" I looked around the room and grabbed the nearest empty glass with ice still in it.

"Hold this up to your nose while you are on your way to the emergency room," I said while thrusting the glass into her shaking and now bloody hands. There was no doubt in my mind that I had broken her nose.

"That one is for free. The next time I see you I will charge. Oh, and send Connor my love for me," I said with narrowed eyes. "Now fuck off before you really anger me," my voice reaching a dangerously low pitch. She scurried out of sight like a wounded animal. I watched her until she left the bar and until I was satisfied. The crowd once again began cheering at my actions and chanting. I looked back at the table and everyone had shocked and awed expressions. Selphie and Zell enveloped me in a bone crushing embrace.

"That was the best thing I've ever seen!"

"Rinoa that was awesome!"

Everyone was saying something to me but the words just all blurred together once they reached my ears. Everything started spinning in front of me and I began feeling lightheaded. I closed my eyes to stop the spinning and the dizziness. My body felt numb as the effects of the alcohol started to kick in, I could barely feel my right hand.

As soon as Selphie and Zell released me my legs lost all power to hold me up and I stumbled back into my chair. I waited a couple of seconds before opening my eyes again. The first thing that I saw was a pair of stunning blue eyes. All of the colors, shapes, and forms in the background began to slowly mesh together, all except those blue eyes. I blinked a couple of times to steady my vision, this time Squall came into view.

He had his arms on the table leaning towards me. He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

_Oh shit. Did he just ask me something? Damn alcohol. Come on Rinoa, focus, focus. He has really pretty eyes…gorgeous eyes…and that floppy hair…okay too much focus._

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice finally reaching my ears, one of sincerity and concern.

"Yeah…I'm fine," I replied.

We stayed at the bar for a little while longer to finish our drinks. The band resumed playing and the crowds died down a bit. We eventually paid for our drinks and left the bar. The night air was cool and crisp as we stepped outside. Small shivers ran down make back from the instant contact with my bare skin. I was wearing a tank top with some Capri pants that would hide my bandaged leg.

I looked skyward to see thousands of twinkling stars fill the black void of space. Loud music caught my ears and I looked down towards the beach. People were dancing to thumping music around large bonfires. Selphie had tried to drag Irvine out into the dancing crowd of people; her attempts were to no avail. We eventually made it back to Sumet's, Squall and I said our goodnights to the others as we approached their rooms.

"Hey Rinoa, are you gonna teach me how to surf tomorrow?" Zell asked with a sad puppy look on his face. I just chuckled at his antics.

"Yeah Zell, sure."

"Sweet!" he exclaimed while pumping his fists in the air. "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early!" and with that he slammed his door. _Bright and early, that's not going to work out for me_.

"Unfortunately he really does mean that. Be expecting a wake up call around 7:00 tomorrow morning from him," Squall said as if reading my mind. I turned to look at him noticed that he was a couple of steps ahead of me walking towards our rooms.

"Well then he is going to have to answer to my fist if he thinks I'm waking up that early," I said while trying to catch up to Squall. He didn't respond but kept walking at a brisk pace. We slowed as we came to our rooms and stood outside of our doors. Squall retrieved his key and paused before placing it in the lock. I unlocked and opened my door and was about to walk in when I noticed he had not unlocked his door. He looked up at me and smile in embarrassment, his bangs falling over his eyes.

"Uh…do you think…that uh," _Oh hyne, he's going to ask me to join him. Why am I getting butterflies? Whoa, slow down girl, you just met the guy!_

"You could unlock my door for me…again?"

I cringed at my petty thoughts of a school girl fantasy. I nodded my head and walked over to him. He held his key out for me and I took it. He kept his hand in place allowing our fingers to touch for a split second longer than necessary._ Did he just try to hold my hand?_ He pulled his hand back and looked away as he realized he had been caught. I took the opportunity to poke fun at his moment of weakness.

"Are you going to hold my hand or let me unlock your door?" I asked with a mischievous grin.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

I unlocked his door and returned his key. An awkward silence soon followed after. I looked up at him and our eyes locked for the umpteenth time that night. I was beginning to realize how incredibly difficult is was to pull away from his eyes.

"Well…goodnight then," I said, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, goodnight," he replied.

I slowly turned around and had to will my legs to move. I smiled one last time at him and entered my room. Once my door closed I leaned against it and closed my eyes. _What a fucked up day_. I clutched my right fist to my chest as the pain slowly started to ebb its way back into my senses.

I opened my eyes and focused on my bed. In a trans-like state I walked over to the bed and collapsed on top of it. My eyelids slowly started to shut. _I should probably try and make arrangements for getting out of Balamb. There is no point in staying here anymore_. I was startled out of my thoughts by the knocking at my door. My eyes shot open and I stared at the door. There is only one person this could be; I just wished that I could postpone this confrontation. I got up and moseyed over towards the door.

"Look Connor, its over between us so why don't you just," I said while flinging the door open wildly in frustration. I stopped mid-sentence, surprised at who had actually knocked at my door.

"Squall," I breathed out, "what are you doing here?" I asked while leaning against the doorframe. He stood back from the door with both of his hands behind his back.

"Sorry if you were sleeping or anything…I was just thinking…and," he said nervously while looking at the floor realizing he was standing in a puddle. "Hyne damn it! They really shouldn't mop the walls." I just busted out laughing. I know that it's incredibly rude of me, sense he is trying to be serious, but he seemed so frustrated with the puddle all of a sudden. He looked at me and glared.

"Do I amuse you?"

"No, no, sorry…go on," I said while still chuckling.

"Anyway, I was thinking, and I realized that I never really thanked you…for earlier," he said taking a step closer to me.

"Is that so? Would that be saving you from the evil wooden door?" I asked mischievously.

"Ha ha," he deadpanned, "no…for…saving me today out on the beach," he spoke more softly.

"Look, I don't have a hell of a lot of experience in this, but, thank you," he said and moved one of his arms from behind his back, producing a bag of ice in front of me. Okay, so the bag of ice was not what I was expecting. A flower, a box of chocolates, a note, anything, but not a bag of ice.

"You're thanking me with a bag of ice?" I asked in a confused state. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, the ice is for your hand. I thought that you could probably use it."

"Oh, well you're welcome, and thanks," I said while taking the bag of ice and placing it gingerly on my right knuckles. I took a sharp breath in as the ice made contact with my skin.

"So…where did you learn to throw a hook like that?" he asked.

"Well, I grew up as an army brat, my father being an army general and all. He taught me how to defend myself," I explained. "Or as I like to put it, 'just kick ass' in general."

He nodded his head and folded his arms across his chest as silence ensued. I suddenly took an interest in the bag of ice now resting on my knuckles.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

**ciao**


	7. pain

Chapter 7  
_pain_

_What the fuck am I doing? I can't believe I am about to ask her. Stupid Quistis and Selphie. They snuck up on me as I was entering my room and cornered me like savage predators._

_'You should ask Rinoa to come with us, it will be so much fun!'_

_'Besides, she is just here by herself now.'_

_'Squall it's not safe for her to be out here on her own, at least invite her come with us.'_

_'Blah blah blah, blah blah.'_

_Alright, so I forgot what else they said to me._

The constant nagging continued for at least five more minutes. I didn't even get a word in. When Selphie and Quistis corner you, you have no choice but to submit to their will. It's was easier for me to just nod my head in agreement, only I didn't really know what I was agreeing to. So in short, I agreed to ask Rinoa if she would want to come with us without even second-guessing the idea myself.

So here I am, standing in a puddle, about to ask her.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Probably trying to make arrangements for leaving Balamb. I mean there is no point in me staying here since I won't be surfing…" she said as if the realization had just occurred to her.

"Oh…yeah…I guess there really is no point then," I said with my gaze cast towards the floor. _Of course she would want to leave. She won't want spend time with a bunch of hoodlums from Esthar, Squall. Don't drag her down too. She has a life and a career._

"Yeah…wait, why do you ask?" she inquired with her head tilted slightly to one side and her hair cascading over her shoulder.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it," I said brusquely while turning to walk away. I almost got away too until I felt a hand grab my upper arm.

"Woah! Hold on there!" Riona said. She had reached out for me with her free hand while the other balanced the tipsy bag of ice on her knuckles.

I turned around to find Rinoa concentrating all of her efforts on keeping the bag of ice upright. The bag seemed to have a mind of its own. It lunged closer to her body. Rinoa brought her wrist closer to her stomach to cradle the bag, only, it quickly changed directions and slithered off of her swollen knuckles and down onto the floor. The bag quickly turned into her enemy as she stood there vexed by her vain attempts at keeping the ice on her knuckles. She slowly released my arm and began a slow decent towards the floor.

"I got it," I sighed. My movements were much quicker than hers as I scooped up the liberated bag of ice and held it out for her. She glared at the bag and reluctantly swiped it from me, placing it back onto her swollen knuckles.

"Thanks," she mumbled. An uncomfortable silence settled in between us.

_Fucking uncomfortable silences…well I'm not saying shit. I've said all that I needed to. If she wants to drag this out, then fine. I don't have to justify my reasoning. So I changed my mind, big fucking deal! Just say goodbye and good riddance and leave, Squall, before she has a chance to stop you. Do it now!_

"You wouldn't have asked if it was just nothing," she said.

_Fuck._

"Well you're leaving anyway so it doesn't matter," I said rather curtly with my eyes narrowed as I was starting to get annoyed.

"I didn't say that it was set in stone that I was leaving. I mean, I have no plans for tomorrow if that is what you're asking," she said with a hint of confusion.

"Look, you have a life and a successful career so just forget that I mentioned it. Just forget that you even met us and go back to your esteemed fucking life," I spat out in a harsh tone. That did it.

"Excuse me? In case you hadn't noticed Squall, but I just tanked my career by firing my manager. My so-called relationship with Connor is dead and will now be published on the front page of every publication. I am going to be hounded by the press every single time I step outside; in fact, I am probably going to be bombarded by the local Balambian press tomorrow. My life is played out on the covers of magazines Squall, its not fucking esteemed!" she spoke behind clenched teeth in a seething manner. Her grasp of the bag of ice increased tenfold. She paused for a moment to quell her anger. _She gets riled up quite easily, this could be fun._

"Do you honestly think that I am better off than any of you?" she asked in a calmer tone.

"Yes," I said without thinking. Well, it is the truth.

My answer caught her off guard. She pulled her head back slightly to stare up at me. After a moment she looked away and shook her head.

"Everyone puts me up on some sort of pedestal. I don't understand it. I'm no different from anyone else." She began to fiddle with the bag of ice. "That's why I didn't tell you or the others who I was, well not exactly anyway. I was kind of hoping that no one would recognize me as Rinoa Heartilly, the pro surfer. But you guys were different, you didn't care that I am or was a 'celebrity,' Hyne I hate that term."

She paused and looked back up at me. Her hair had fallen around her face. She used her free hand to tuck her long strands of raven colored hair behind her ears.

"I guess that I was wrong," she said as almost a whisper with a sad smile. At that moment I made the mistake of looking into her eyes. They were no longer full of warmth and excitement from earlier at the bar, they were now full of sadness and pain. I couldn't tare myself away from her.

Why do I feel like I have just killed a puppy? _It's called guilt you moron. Well, that didn't take long Squall. Way to come off as an inconsiderate bastard._

"Look, in all honesty you are better off than us, but, that's just because you don't know anything about our history. Just trust me on that one. I…ugh…didn't come here to pick a fight with you. At least it wasn't at the top of my to-do list for tonight." At this she raised her eyebrows in question.

"Really, I didn't," I said while holding my arms up in my defense. She looked at me with utter disbelief all over her face.

"Fine, believe what you want. Just for that, you don't get to know what I was going to ask."

"Just tell me Squall," she said. I could tell that she was starting to get aggravated. An idea suddenly hit me.

I stood as if in careful thought and rubbed my chin with my forefinger and thumb.

"No, I don't think that you would be able to handle it," I said condescendingly.

"Handle what?" she asked in a threatening tone.

"This," I said while digging in my pocket and pulling out the folded up map.

"That?" she scoffed, "well I knocked Connor out, saved your ass, and managed to break some girl's ugly nose tonight, I think that I can handle a piece of paper."

"It's not just a piece of paper, it's a map," I smugly corrected her.

"It's the SAME THING!"

"Hey, will you two please be quiet! People are trying to sleep around here!" whined the occupant of room eleven who stuck his chubby balding head out of the door to scold us. Rinoa scowled at the man. Her eyes darted back towards me. Her free hand lunged towards me and clasped the front of my shirt like a hawk impaling a rat with its razor sharp talons. The bag of ice once again slipped off her knuckles with her movement.

"And you surf with that balance?" I asked in all seriousness.

She muttered a few choice words while dragging me into her room and slamming the door shut, leaving the melting bag of ice in the hallway.

"Look you ungrateful piece of shit, you ask me what I am doing tomorrow, refuse to tell me why you asked in the first place, and then get offended by the fact that I told you that I might be leaving! No normal person would do that Squall!" she exclaimed while pacing around her room.

"I'm not ungrateful, I did thank you."

"Not the point! You…grrrr…you infuriate me!" She started to pace around her room while shaking her head and clinching her good fist. "…wait a minute…unless…" she stopped pacing and slowly turned to face me. A sick and twisted smile began to from on her lips. She took a couple steps in my direction and I backed up into the door, suddenly feeling very small. Her face lit as if an epiphany had just occurred to her.

"…unless…**you** want me to stay…"

Bells and whistles began going off in my mind. _Shit, she is on to you. Change your tactics, this isn't working! Mayday! Mayday!_ I narrowed my eyes. _How dare she accuse me of wanting her to stay!_

"You really want to know, fine! I was going to invite you to come with us to this secret beach. I don't give a flying fuck whether or not you come. It's just that Quistis and Selphie begged me to ask you. Frankly I think that you would be more of a burden and an annoyance than anything else."

Her smile immediately dropped and she began to scowl again.

"An annoyance huh? Well just for that I'm staying, and I'm also accepting Quistis' and Selphie's invitation. So there!" she said and stuck out her tongue at me.

"Fine. Whatever. Just meet us at the eatery across the street from Sumet's tomorrow morning. If you're lucky, we'll still be there," I said with my statement full of contempt.

"Fine. I will!" she shouted

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"You already said that."

"Fine…er, okay then!"

"Is that all you got?"

"…you can leave now," she said in a threatening tone.

"Gladly."

And with that, I left her room and walked out into the hallway. I ran a hand through my hair and let out a sigh of relief as I opened the door to my room. Entering my room, I shook my head and let out a chuckle. _Who ever said reverse psychology never worked?_ Satisfied with my little performance, I began to ready myself for a much-needed night of restful sleep.

I pulled my shirt off over my head and my Greiver necklace fell back against my chest. Rolling my shirt up into a ball, I tossed it on top of my pack. I kicked my sandals off and stripped down into my boxers. I turned off the light and let my eyes adjust to the total darkness encompassing the room. I retraced my steps to the bed carefully as not to run into anything, or step on anything. With my arms outstretched feeling around for the bed, my fingers came into contact with the familiar cloth material.

I slowly crawled into the bed and leaned back to rest my head on the pillow. I shut my eyes and immediately began to drift off to sleep.

**Sometime during the middle of the night…**

_Falling pots and pans awake me from my slumber. My eyes shoot open and I sit up in bed clutching my stuffed cactaur as the noises continue. The shattering of glass sends a chill down my back. I immediately lay back down and pull my covers over my head and curl up on my side in an attempt to hide. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, hoping the noises will stop and that the monsters will go away. I hear loud thuds and scuffling sounds coming from downstairs. My breathing quickens as I pull my pillow out from underneath me and force it over my head trying to drown out the noises. The noises abruptly stop and I hold my breath as I slowly open my eyes, hoping that is the end of it._

"_Stop…please stop! I beg you!"_

_I slowly lower my covers as I lift my head, instantly recognizing the anguished voice._

"_Mom?" I whisper._

_I slowly get out of my bed with my arms squeezing Jack to my chest and creep over to my bedroom door. I turn the handle and cautiously open it. Soft light floods into my room from the staircase directly across the hall. Poking my head out I look down the hall towards mom's room, her door is wide open. _

"_P-pl-please s-stop…I…have ch-children," she cried out._

"_Oh don't worry you're gonna like this. I won't hurt you…I promise." said a sadistic male voice, one I did not recognize._

_Fear gripped my throat, seemingly cutting off my air supply. I starting gasping for air as if I some unseen force was holding me under water. The realization soon hits me that this is not just a nightmare, in fact I will not be waking up from this one. Mom will not be at my bedside holding me in her arms telling me that everything is going to be just fine, hushing my cries and stroking my hair. The monsters this time are real. _

_A surge of chills runs through my body as I hear muffled cries and more scuffling sounds. A scream is let out but quickly muffled by a cursing and angry man. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up at the sound. I look down towards the other end of the hall and notice that Ellone's door is still closed. _

_While crushing Jack into my chest I begin to approach the top of the stairs. I hold my breath with each step I take and silently pray to Hyne to keep me safe. At the top step I reach out and clasp the banister for support. I slide one foot down towards the top of the first step like one easing into a hot bath, but quickly pull it back as the sound of a loud slap resonates up the staircase. _

"_Damn it woman, you'll shut up if you don't want anything to happen to those kids of yours!" the angry man yells out in a rage._

_My eyes widen upon hearing the threat. My lips start to quiver and I try to cry out to no avail. My mouth is so dry that no sound comes, only pathetic whimpers. I take a gulp and steady my shaking hand on the banister. I begin to pray a prayer that Sis taught me, one that she says will keep me safe from the monsters._

"_Angel of Hyne my guardian being, to whom Hyne's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and guide." _

_I say it so quietly that the words barely leave my mouth. I repeat it over and over as I begin to descend the stairs. On the third step the kitchen floor comes into view. Shattered glass, porcelain, papers, forks, and knives litter the floor as if a tornado had just ripped through and left utter devastation in its path. A long shadow is cast across the floor. I can just barely make it out, but it looks like a man on his knees with an arm raised above his head. In his hand he holds something pointed. His arm swings downward and I hear a sickening crack. I wince and begin saying the prayer faster in hopes that Hyne will hear me. _

_I take another step down on the stairs and freeze. Just below the first floor ceiling I see my mother's head and shoulders come into my view. She is almost unrecognizable to me. Her face is bloodied and covered with bruises. Her hair is matted with blood and clings to her face. Streams of the crimson liquid trickle down the side of her face. One of her eyes is nearly swollen shut. Her lips are quivering as she cries out in pain. I want to run away, to run back into my room and wake up from this nightmare. Only my legs are no longer listening to my brain's screaming instructions to run back up the stairs. As much as I don't want to, I take another step down. _

'_Angel of Hyne…my gaurdian being…'_

_The shadow of the man now turns into flesh. He is wearing all black with a black ski mask covering his face. He sits atop of my mother pawing at her body and ripping her nightgown to shreds. In one hand he holds large hunting knife. _

'…_to whom Hyne's love…commits me here…'_

_I still am unable to stop myself from continuing down the stairs. As soon as the bottom of my foot reaches the top of the next stair, a loud ear-piercing creaking sound resonates throughout the staircase and into the kitchen. _

'…_ever this day…be at my side…'_

_As if electrocuted by the stair below me, I retract my foot and stand frozen in fear. The man quickly stops what he is doing and looks over in my direction. My mother too looks over to the staircase._

"_Squall…I…I-ahh"_

_Before she is able to finish a cold steel blade is slashed across her throat. Blood seeps out and begins to pool around her head. I want to run, to scream, to do anything, but I can't. I am frozen in my spot. Jack suddenly falls from my grasp and bounds down the rest of the stairs. Two wet tears trace their way down my cheeks. The man's attention is once again cast in my direction. He stands up and begins to walk over to the stairs. _

'…_to light…to guard…'_

_I am so frozen in my fear, I still cannot move. He approaches the stairs, stepping on Jack while on his way._

'…_to rule…and…'_

_He begins climbing the stairs. My fear still roots me in my stagnant position. He pauses right in front of me. I look up at him and he begins to laugh while slowly raising the knife above his head._

'…_guide…'_

_His arm forcefully swings downward in my direction. Before I even register the movement, the serrated blades rip into my flesh._

My eyes shoot open and I sit straight up in bed. I gasp for breath and my bangs fly into my face. I try in vain to calm myself. Lately the dreams were becoming longer and more detailed. After a few moments I brought a hand up to my face and traced the scar that ran from my forehead to just below my left eye. This scar has become a constant reminder of the pain that I caused…_her_ pain.

**so there you have it. sorry it took a while. i just want to quickly thank my readers and my two lonely reviewers. i am very humbled by the amount of hits this story is getting and shocked that people are actually taking an interest. hope youve enjoyed it so far.  
ciao**


	8. hide and seek

Chapter 8  
_hide and seek_

"I have a lovely bunch of coconuts…deedle-ly…dee-dee…there they are a standing in a row…big ones small ones…some as big as your head…" I mutter in nearly incoherent sing-song voice.

BANG BANG BANG

I scarcely heard someone pounding on my door while still in my dream state. Currently I was happily dancing in a conga line with different types of fruit. I was in the middle of a long line with a saucy banana in front of me and a grabby strawberry behind me. Each time the banging of my door infiltrated my dream a random piece of fruit would be smashed by a giant fist coming from the sky. Tragic really.

BANG BANG BANG

This time the banana had gotten smashed. There is nothing worse then a smashed banana. _Rinoa, you're dreaming about fruit again, wake up!_ My eyes snapped open with another round of banging on my door, only to be welcomed by the pitch black room. _Holy shit! Massive headache!_ I clutched my head with my hands and winced in pain. Letting my eyes adjust, I looked around and saw light flooding in from the hallway underneath the door.

BANG BANG BANG

"Alright, alright…hold on a second. I'll be right there, just for the love of Hyne please stop!" I cried out. _Stupid alcohol_.

Mercifully the pounding stopped. I sighed and moved my arm underneath my pillow in search of my watch. My fingers brushed the velcro band. I pulled it out and held it close to my face while fumbling to press the indiglo bottom. 'Beep.' _Nope, that's not it_. After a couple of attempts I found the right button and my watch lit up. I squinted as my eyes were not ready for the amount of light being projected.

"Six…fifty-…seven!" I groggily said aloud._ Who wakes up this early! Better yet, who has the gall to wake ME up this early!_ In my anger I attempted to ripe off the sheet I was sleeping under, only I quickly found out that the sheet was holding me captive. I let out a frustrated growl and thrashed my arms and legs around until the sheet was down around my feet. Satisfied, I sat up and swung my legs around to the side of the bed. I stood up and noticed that the sheet was still clinging to one foot. Shrugging it off, I proceeded to walk to the door. My first couple of steps were off balanced as I started to veer off to the left. _Whoa there, easy does it Rinoa. One baby step at a time._

I recovered my balance and continued on my track to the door. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth to let out a yawn. At that moment my feet were taken out from underneath me and I flew face-first down onto the floor boards.

THUD

"Ooooow….mother fuc-"

BANG BANG BANG

I once again winced as my head began throbbing. I slowly looked down to stare at the sheet that constricted around my foot. _Oh, that's it you pathetic piece of cotton!_ I jumped to my feet and tore the sheet right off of the bed. _You're not so tough now, are ya?_ I walked the rest of the way to the door with the sheet still wrapped around my foot.

"What is it!" I unlocked the door at swung it open, only to be met with a flashing light.

Click. Click. Click.

"Miss Heartilly, is it true that you and Connor Mathis have broken up? Are you out of the competition this weekend? Did you get into a fight last night?"

All of those questions came from one overweight and balding reporter with his photographer snapping away. The reporter was eagerly waiting for some sort of answer with a pad of paper and a pen in each hand. I was so stunned by the rush of light on my senses and the flash on the camera that I just stood in the doorway with my mouth agape. I heard a soft whistle that brought me out of my daze.

"Miss Heartilly, that's uh, quite an outfit you have on there," said the photographer from behind his camera.

Puzzled, I looked down at what I was wear and gasped in horror. I was only wearing my light blue boy-cut undies with a tight black t-shirt that had my sponsor's surfing logo on it. I quickly stepped back into the room and slammed the door shut, leaning my back up against it. I ran my hands through my hair and clutched my head. I could hear both the reporter and the photographer chuckling behind the door. _Shit! Shit! Shit! Great Rinoa, you've just given the perverted photographer a fantasy for his next wet dream!_

"Miss Heartilly, may we have a word with you?" _NO you may NOT!_

"We're not leaving until we do…" the reporter said while trailing off. _Damn it. Now what? Think! Think!_

"Ugh…okay, just give me five minutes…I'll, ugh, meet you down in the lobby. I'll answer your questions then," I said, instantly regretting it.

"Alright, we'll be waiting!"

Shit, now I have to go down and do a scummy interview. I slid down the door and held my knees up to my chest in deep thought. _Okay, you can do this Rinoa. Just say 'no comment' to everything. Oh, better yet, say that you're violently ill and can't conduct any interviews. Just say you have…scathes_. I'm not a fucking pirate. _You're right, too 'shiver me timbers'. How about ebola?_ No, too deadly._ Alright just go with the flu._ Fine. I looked down at my foot and shook it a couple of times; needless to say, I had finally conquered the sheet.

Some what content with my plan, I stood back up and turned on the light. Through my peripheral vision I noticed that a usually occupied corner of the room was now uncharacteristically vacant of a certain surfing apparatus. _Where is my board?_ Usually my surfboard is propped up in the corner to the left of the bed, but for some reason, my board was not in the room. I tried to visualize the last time that I had it with me, basically the last time that I was surfing. _Ah, the accident. It's probably still out back on the deck…out back…wait a minute…WAIT A MINUTE…THAT'S IT! Rinoa, just sneak out the back and you won't have to face that scummy reporter and that photographer! _I am a genius, somebody quick, hand me an award.

With a new found resolve, I quickly changed into a plan white t-shirt and a pair of faded cut-off jean shorts, chucked the rest of my scattered clothes back into my duffel bag, pulled out my black baseball hat and sunglasses, and dashed out the door. Once outside, I cautiously glimpsed up and down the hallway to make sure I was alone. Seeing that the coast was clear, I tugged my hat on and pulled the bill low to hide my face while turning to head out towards the back. I walked briskly and kept my head down hoping that I won't run into other nosey reports digging for gossip.

I apprehensively approached the back door and turned to check behind me to make sure that I was not being followed. The hallway was empty, save for the flickering lights and a few burned out light bulbs. With sunglasses in hand, I pushed the back door open and walked out onto the deck and found that my surfboard was propped up against the wooden deck rail. Fearing my discovery, I decided to leave my board at the mercy of the reporters and come back for it later. I walked down the steps and onto the beach where the cool sand grains flooded my sandals and seep in between my toes. I stopped momentarily to breathe in the warm sea breeze that danced across my face and ran through my hair.

Looking out over the ocean, a sliver of the sun is just protruding above the horizon spreading brilliant reds and oranges across the surface waves. The fishing boats are just heading out for the day's catch, their figures' silhouetted against the rapidly rising sun as they are seemingly swallowed by the encroaching rays. A familiar urge began to pulse through my veins and run the course of my body. A primal call if you will, one that I have obeyed since catching my first real wave. It is in the ocean where I can get lost in my thoughts or center my concentration if you will, be at peace, or just stop worrying so much. But most of all, the ocean is forgiving and washes away my sins. It has become a daily ritual of mine, a necessity really, riding the waves. Usually I would be heading out towards the water with board in hand, but not today. Today I have to stay hidden and out of sight. A light breeze comes in off of the ocean and I hug myself to keep warm.

I sighed and walked behind the building next to Sumet's to draw some distance between myself and the reporters who are probably descending on the hotel as a wolf pack closes upon their prey. The building had an elaborate deck in the back, much larger than the one at Sumet's, and was surrounded by towering palm trees. A swimming pool was constructed in the center of the deck, complete diving board and a poolside bar. The building itself dwarfed Sumet's in shear size and grandeur. The backside of the building took on the shape of a pyramid whereas each proceeding level was shorter in length than the one below. Thus each level had ample balcony space. The building was a hotel no doubt, a resort one at that. Why is it that I am staying at that shit hole Sumet's again? _Because Conner and his cheap ass decided to foot the bill for this trip._

I rounded the hotel and began walking towards the main drag where shopkeepers where busy washing down the streets from the night before. I soon heard the endless chattering, bickering, and bartering of the Balamb markets opening up for the day. The stench of the nightlife still lingered in the morning air with the putrid smell of stale beer and vomit assaulting my senses. I covered my mouth and nose as I came closer to the street. I looked across and noticed a small newsstand with various publications from all over the world. _Hmm…well I do need to kill some time, better go check out the damage_. I hurried across the street, dodging bicycles and persistent merchants, until I came upon the tiny newsstand. I skimmed the headlines on the front pages hoping against hope that my name would not show up anywhere, unfortunately, it appeared that the world had nothing better to read about than the gossip concerning my life.

'Heartilly: Heartbroken and Heated' was the headline of one Balambian tabloid. A picture of me taking a swing at that girl from last night also accompanied the headline. _What can I say, she deserved it_. I continued down the row of newspapers, virtually each headline droning on about me and my 'outing' last night, until one paper caught my eye 'The Wanderer'. Thankfully my name did not appear in the headline. Intrigued, I took the paper, a publication out of Esthar, off the rack and skimmed through only to discover that a small column was written about me down at the bottom of the page. _Down at the bottom! What could possibly take precedence over the details of my life! Hyne, at least one paper has the courtesy and the common sense to print something that is actually newsworthy._ My eyes drifted back to the top headline, 'President's Son Goes Missing'.

"Hey, you gonna buy or read for free?" the newsstand owner asked me. I looked to my left and noticed that and older gentleman was standing next to me. His hair was neatly kept and he had a pair of reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He stood with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and stared at me. His face was stern, but suddenly seemed to soften as if instantly recognizing me.

"Ugh…yeah, sorry about that. How much?" I asked.

"Five gil, but for you…it free," he said while offering me a smile.

"Thank you, but please, allow me to pay," I replied. I folded the paper underneath my arm and dug into my back pocket for some gil. I counted out five gil and held it out for the owner to take.

"No, no, you take! Put money away!"

"That's very kind of you, but I insist," I said while thrusting the gil out in front of him, "please allow me to pay." His smile grew as he reluctantly took the gil from my outstretched hand. I smiled back and began to walk away from him.

"They look for you all morning" he said quietly, stopping my progression. I whirled around and was about to ask him who would be looking for me, but instead he pointed across the street. He was pointing at a rather large group of reporters that were congregating just outside of Sumet's. I raised the bill of my hat just a tad to get a better view of what they were doing. One reporter was talking to the receptionist keeping her busy while other reports were trying to sneak past unnoticed. I brought my bill back down and looked back to the newsstand owner.

"Don't worry, I won't tell nobody you here," he reassured me. Before I could reply, he turned around and busied himself with fixing the newspapers on the racks.

"Thanks," I said, he simply nodded his head in return.

I decided that it would be best for me to lay low for a while, stay out of the public. I started walking towards the Fire Tavern, the little eatery right across from Sumet's. I figured that would be a good place to hide out and keep an eye on the reporters as well. I unfolded the paper from under my arm and started reading the front page again.

_President Laguna Loire's son was reported missing to the Esthar police department early yesterday morning. He was last seen by his sister Ellone Loire, in his room talking on the phone to someone two nights ago. The presidential palace and surrounding areas have been thoroughly searched by secret service members and police detectives with negative results. The president has enacted the help of Esthar military forces to secure the palace and help in the search for his son. The detectives released a statement late last night saying that no signs of a forced entry could be found, and there is no evidence of foul play involved. Phone records show that a call was made from the palace at around 12:30 a.m., which affirms Ellone Loire's statement. _

_President Loire's son, Squall Leonhart, was recently in the news back in April when President Loire announced to Esthar that he had a family. Before becoming president, Loire was married to Raine Leonhart and had two children, Ellone Loire and Squall Leonhart. Loire spent fifteen years as president before breaking his silence on the subject. Sources inside the palace say that Leonhart was recently placed under house arrest by his father and forbidden to leave. Loire is reportedly devastated by the news and refuses to speak to any members of the media. Yesterday was Leonhart's birthday and a big celebration was being planned by the president. All festivities have been postponed until the safe return of the president's son._

A picture accompanied the article of a young man walking down the street trying to avoid reporters; the picture was taken back in April. Although he was trying to escape the photographers, he just happened to be caught looking in the direction of the photographer for 'The Wanderer' when this photo was snapped. I slowed my pace down when I approached the door to the Fire Tavern and stared at the picture in disbelief_. That's_ _weird; this picture is the spitting image of Squall. No, it can't be_. I opened the door and walked up to the counter to order a cup of coffee. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that a lone figure was sitting at a back table reading a book and drinking from a coffee mug.

I sat down at the counter and placed my order for a cup of coffee in and continued to stare at the picture on the front page. _His name did sound familiar_…_maybe he is President Loire's son_. I stared at the picture longer. _Holy shit! He is Loire's son! He's Squall Leonhart!_ The longer I stared at the picture the more I started to notice a long scar on his forehead. Why haven't I noticed that before? _Maybe because you are too occupied staring into his eyes to notice it_. I turned my head away from the paper and winced at my ridiculous thought. I do not stare at him. He just so happens to have blue eyes and blue just so happens to be my favorite color. _That's right Rinoa, just keep telling yourself that_. Shut it! Who asked you anyway?

It was then that I suddenly felt as if I had been placed under a microscope; I could feel a pair of eyes examining me and watching my every move. I cautiously looked out the front door to make sure that I had not been noticed by the reporters. Seeing as how they were still trying to sneak past the receptionist, I wasn't being watched by the reporters. The only other option was the person sitting at the back table. I nonchalantly glanced over my shoulder at the person and saw a man quickly look back down at the book he was reading. The man had floppy brown hair and looked quite familiar. He was wearing long cargo shorts with an unbuttoned short-sleeved shirt. _Well, speak of the devil….it's Squall Leonhart_. Not wanting to get caught staring at him, I looked back at the bar and picked up a menu that was resting against a napkin dispenser.

I opened the menu to look busy, but my thoughts were traveling at the speed of light. _Oh my Hyne! What am I supposed to do? He's the President's son! He ran away from the palace! He probably has maids and butlers to wait on him hand and foot! He lives in a palace! He probably has twenty cars all at his disposal! And he thinks I have an esteemed life? He lives in a palace, in the most technologically advanced country on the planet!_ And then it began to sink in, our conversation from last night. _He has the nerve to call my life esteemed! What an ass! He's the president's son for Hyne's sake! How dare he think that my life is better than his when he is the son of Laguna Loire!_

My anger was starting to boil over. Something needed to be said or to be done, so I calmly folded the menu back up and placed it back against the napkin dispenser. I turned around in the swivel chair and narrowed my eyes at the brown headed heir to Esthar. I got up and flung my arm back on the counter to grab the newspaper, all the while still glaring at him. I started walking in his direction and made each step as loud and clamorous as I possibly could to get his attention, but he just kept his head down in his book. Once I reached the table, I slammed the newspaper down on the table to get his attention.

"**My** esteemed life? You have the nerve to call **my** life esteemed? What's the matter, Squall, was the palace too harsh on you? Was having a servant tend to your every beck and call too stressful for you?" I gibed. He didn't even move! He just kept reading his book and never even acknowledged my presence there. I crossed my arms and impatiently waited for a response. After a minute he shook his head as if in deep thought and slowly closed his book. He diligently moved the book aside and brought his coffee mug in front of him. Before taking a sip of the hot liquid, he blew on the surface in an attempt to cool it off as not to scald the inside of his mouth. He gingerly placed the mug back down and turned the mug slightly clockwise to his liking before finally looking up to me.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" he asked, feigning his innocence in the situation. I huffed and pulled the seat out in front of me to sit down.

"I think that you'll find today's top story in 'The Wanderer' quite intriguing, I know I did," I said while sliding the newspaper in front of him. He looked at the paper and read the headline to himself, then nodded his head in agreement with me. The waitress finally came around with my coffee and placed it in front of me then scurried back to the kitchen.

"Ah, yes, you are right. I am soooo glad that you brought this to my attention. I've always wanted to know when the next critically acclaimed Vincent Valentine play would be playing at the…Angelika Theater…on 4th and Broad. Thank you sooo much. I once was lost, but now I am found, thanks to your infinite guidance," he droned out, each word dripping with sarcasm.

"What?" I craned my neck so that I could see what he had read to give him that impression.

"Yes, I love reading the arts and entertainment section," he said in a monotonous tone.

"No, the front page, not the back!"

"Then why didn't you just give me the front page to read in the first place?" he asked with a slight smile.

"No! I…I just…ARGH! Give me that!" I snatched the paper back and flipped it over to the front page. "Here, read this."

Within a matter of seconds Squall's demeanor had changed. He bore into the paper with the harshness of a hacksaw. He gripped the paper and brought it closer, crumpling the edges. His jaw suddenly clenched as he took deep breathes in and out. He shut his eyes.

"Yeah, so what."

"So what? Were you going to tell me?" I asked weakly. He opened his eyes and stared down at his coffee.

"Tell you what? It's none of you fucking business."

Okay, so I was a little taken back by his statement. I was pissed. I was pissed that he didn't tell me who he really was. But, then again, he was right. It is none of my business. I mean, I didn't exactly tell him who I was right off the bat. So who's being the hypocrite here?

"You're right…it's none of my business…" I replied in a weak and timid voice. I stirred my coffee with a spoon and poured in some cream. I stared at the swirls I was making in my mug, not really wanting to initiate any eye contact with Squall at the moment. I suddenly felt it would be better for me if I just went back to the counter and forgot all about out little exchange.

"I'll, ugh, just go back now. Sorry to interrupt," I took my mug in my hand was standing back up when Squall's hand reached out and stopped me before I could leave.

"Shit, wait…you don't have to go. I mean, you weren't interrupting anything…too important," he stammered out. I looked down at him and saw him looking back up at me with these puppy dog eyes, how could I just leave? I let out an exasperated breath and unceremoniously plopped back down in the chair. We stayed silent for a couple of moments.

"Would it have changed anything if you had known?" he asked.

"Yes, I would have kicked your ass for what you said to me last night! Let me tell you, Squall, your life if way more esteemed than mine."

"No it's not. For fuck's sake, Rinoa, do you always believe what you read?"

"No, I-"

"Well guess what, this article just conveniently left out the part about him abandoning my sister and I for fifteen years and how we were bounced around through foster homes." He paused for a second; he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "Look, can we just start over or something? I promise, I'll tell you the horror story that is my childhood over a campfire or something." His last statement was said with a chuckle as he pleaded with me. All I could do was just sit there in a state of shock. All that I wanted was an omission of truth, but it turns out that we were both hiding something from each other. I knew all too well what he was asking and a wave of relief washed over me, a chance to start over and settle everything.

"Hi, I'm Rinoa Heatilly, ex-pro surfer," I said in all honesty, extending my hand for him to shake.

"I'm Squall, Squall Leonhart, ugh…relative of Laguna Loire," he said while cringing at the last statement and taking my hand in his to shake.

"You mean you're his son, right?" I prodded.

"Unfortunately," he responded with a hint of anger. His father is obviously a touchy subject for him, alright, I'll just leave it there.

"Well, my father is General Caraway of the Galbadian army. I never really got along too well with him. I pretty much hated him all of my life. We never got along, always fighting, and always over the most miniscule things. Hyne, what an asshole he was. I don't even remember the last time that I talked to him was…" I trailed off.

"So you're a pro surfer? For how long?"

"**Ex**-pro surfer. Oh, only about four years, but I've been surfing all of my life really. That's actually how I met Connor, my ex-boyfriend. I just broke up with him yesterday, and being the media-whore that he is, apparently all of the tabloids say that I am heartbroken. That's news to me."

"It says here 'emotionally distraught'. Oh and here's a direct quote 'I just don't think that I will ever find anyone as kind and caring as Connor was. I don't know how I will go on without him, oh well; life finds a way, right?'" he said in a girly voice and was nearly full blown laughing.

"You shithead! It does not say that!"

"Yeah, it does."

"Let me see that!" I grabbed the paper away from him and read the article for my self, sure enough, it did. "Unbelievable…" I mumbled.

"Don't worry Rinoa, life will find a way." He was mocking me, openly mocking me and all that I could do was glare at him. It was strange really, just a minute ago we were about to start a war with each other, and now we are joking around like two old friends. He was still laughing at me, but my eyes could no longer hold their glare. They began to scan over his body and it was only then that I remembered that he was wearing an unbuttoned shirt. _Wow, those are nice_. My eyes started to wander down his exposed chest. Before he could catch me I looked back up at his face and was brought out of my reverie by a long scar that ran between his eyes.

"How did you get that scar?" I asked while motioning to his forehead.

"Car accident," he bluntly stated. "Ugh, it was raining and the streets were slippery, and you know how it is…" he looked back down into his mug and he quickly stopped laughing. _Okay, another subject not to bring up._ Wanting to change the topic quickly I asked another question.

"How did you get that cut above your ear?" his eyes met mine and he corners of his lips began to curl upward.

"I was swimming see, and I got run over by some crazed surfer chick."

"On accident! And I was not crazed!" I vehemently stated.

"Oh right, right, just heartbroken."

"You're such an ass," I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I am to please," he smiled smugly. I was about to say something in return when the sounds of shuffling feet reached my ears. I turned in time to see the waitress emerge from the kitchen and head our way.

"Are you two okay? Do you want to order anything to eat?" the waitress asked us.

"Yeah, I'll have a plain bagel with cream cheese, and a refill on the coffee, please," Squall said. The waitress nodded her head and turned to look at me.

"Ugh…do you have like a cup of fruit? No, no, a bowl of fruit? Or like fruit smoothies by any chance?" I asked. She just nodded her head and walked away. "So, did she get that?" I whispered to Squall.

"Probably not. What's with all the fruit?"

"I've been having really weird dreams about fruit lately. I was actually dancing in a conga line with a banana and…" _Oh fuck me! Did I really just say that out loud! Well this is just peachy, now he is going to think that I'm psycho. Oh man, enough with the fruit Rinoa!_

"…" he just stared at me with a blank face.

"Yeah, don't ask," ashamed, I looked down into my coffee. "So…tell me about this map," I said in a hushed voice.

Squall told me all about the map and how he had gotten a hold of it. The story sounded fishy to me, almost too unrealistic; almost as if he had been chosen or ordained to receive the map. He had the map with him and let me examine it by sliding it across the table towards me. I unfolded the map and saw a hand drawn coordinate system and three drawn in islands. One large island was drawn in the center of the map with two smaller islands drawn above it. The two smaller islands were situated to the northeast and northwest of the larger island, almost forming the ears on a large head. The island to the northeast had a large star drawn in the center of it. There were illegible markings all over the map, almost in a different language.

"How are we going to get there?" I asked.

"Well, the star is in the center of the island, so we will just walk there." I looked up at him in disbelief and started laughing.

"Squall, have you ever seen a map of Balamb?" He shook his head shyly. "Okay, see this big island? This is Balamb, where we are. This island with the star on it is Ponchi." I stopped to gaze his reaction. "Have you ever been to Balamb before yesterday?" Again he shook his head side to side, allowing his bangs to fall in front of his eyes.

"Well, it's a good thing that you ran into me then…or I ran over you…anyway, this island, Ponchi, is a national wildlife refuge or something. So no one is aloud to inhabit the island. Also, the locals believe that the island is haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Yes. You see many years ago Estharian military forces stumbled upon the island and estabolished a base or something there. Most of the natives believe that weird psychological and scientific experiments were conducted on the island. The test subjects were said to be soldiers within the army or convicts. They were testing to make some sort of 'super soldier'. Horrific noises and eerie lights could be seen and heard fromPonchi at night. The natives are all afraid to venture anywhere near the island."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Hey, believe what you want. I'm just saying that no one is going to be willing to take us anywhere near Ponchi, no matter how much gil we throw in their lap. So again I just have to ask, how are we going to get there?"


	9. let's make a deal

Chapter 9  
_Let's make a deal_

"So again I just have to ask, how are we going to get there?" she asked.

She was studying the map intensely, memorizing every contoured line, every sketched-in detail. Her fingers traced the outlines of the island. Both of her elbows were propped up on the edge of the table as she held the map in her hands. Long dark hair covered her shoulders as she leaned her body forward to gaze upon the map. The sunlight filtering in through the front windows settled on her body, providing a warm aura. The hat resting upon her head was slightly off kilter with the bill positioned a fraction of an inch to the right of center, casting a shadow across her face. She had obviously put it on in a hurry, not checking to make sure that it sat on her head just perfectly. Judging by her actions when she first came into the Fire Cavern she was trying to dodge the reports that were staked out in front of Sumet's. I can't really blame her though, sometimes those fucking reporters just don't take no for an answer. They're always digging and prying for more information, looking for the one story that would jump-start their own careers. _Fucking vultures_.

It's a good thing that her full attention was focused on the map. My eyes began to wander over her body. They slid down the bill of her hat and were they meet two soft brown downcast eyes. She spoke with such awe and wonder, as if this whole idea were some unobtainable dream just out of her reach. I began to memorize her mannerisms; the way she wrinkles her nose when she get annoyed, how the corners of her lips turn up when she has won an argument, or how she subconsciously weaves her fingers through her hair when she gets bored. Each were so miniscule to the eye, yet for some reason I was picking up on them. Even the angle of her hat was so minute that upon first glance one would overlook it entirely, but maybe it was the way that she didn't care or that it didn't even bother her that I was starting to find alluring. Sensing that I had not yet answered her question her eyes flickered up to meet mine. _Shit_.

"Uh…I'm sure that we can find someone who can drop us off on the island," I said while casting my eyes down at my coffee as I stirred the steaming liquid with my spoon, careful not to look back up at her.

"Hello, I just said that no one is going to even get near the island!"

"So you're telling me that we're not going to find a **single** person, on the **entire** island of Balamb, who can just drop us off?" I asked in utter disbelief.

"Yeah, that's what I said!" she replied as if it were common knowledge.

"Bullshit, we'll be able to find someone," I said and quickly snatched the map out of her hands flashing a fake grin.

I mean, come on, you expect me to believe that there isn't a single who has a boat that wouldn't be interested in a quick drop off on Ponchi for a couple hundred gil? The people in Balamb would do anything to make a quick gil. They've got fortune tellers trying to foresee your future, people selling cheap knock-offs of expensive goods, hell; there is even someone trying to sell snake fang necklaces. That's just fucked up. I folded up the map and stuffed it into my side pocket. When I looked back up she had an amused looked plastered on her face. _Oh great, she is thinking up something. I can see the wheels turning, she is going to tell me off. Yeah, this is really what I need first thing in the morning_.

"You want to bet on that?" she asked with a smile.

There are some things in this world that a guy just can't back down from. For example, if someone is offering you something for free with no gimmicks, no plans, no contracts attached…you take it. If some obnoxious leather-clad asshole is laughing his head off at your expensive when you've just been forced to run down a street buck naked…you break his fucking jaw. Now, if you're asked to make a bet on something in which you are one hundred percent certain on…you make it. Case in point, Rinoa here as just asked me to make a bet on whether I can find someone who will drop us off on Ponchi. _Poor, poor Rinoa; she has no idea what she is getting herself into_. I just shook my head and took a sip of my coffee.

"What's at stake?" I asked.

Her face lit up and she shifted around in her chair, bringing one of her legs underneath her to sit upon for more leverage. She folded her hands on top of the table in a business-like manner and tried to keep a straight face.

"How about this, the loser has to make the meals for the first week," she offered in a very proud and confident manner. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair.

"Hmm…no good," I said while shaking my head. She pulled her head back and stared at me. I could tell that I had just crushed her spirit.

"What do you mean 'no good'?" she asked.

"You would only be suffering three times a day, where is the fun in that for me?"

"No, you would be suffering," she said, I merely scoffed at the idea.

"You don't believe me? Alright, Mr. Leonhart, what do you propose?"

"The loser becomes the winner's slave for a week."

She brought one arm up to her face and rested her chin in her palm. Her eyes darted off as she weighed the pros and cons of the bet. I could tell that it was tantalizing her. After a moment of contemplation, a small wicked smile began to form on her lips. She slowly brought her eyes back to focus on me. I leaned forward and propped my elbows on the table, anticipating her answer. I already knew what the answer would be, lets be honest, no one would pass up an opportunity like this one. The only thing that I didn't anticipate was that her eyes were now starting to roam my body with eagerness and hunger. _Is she openly checking me out?_ Now normally I wouldn't mind, but I could feel my cheeks beginning to grow hot.

"'Slave' in what sense of the word?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh…well the 'slave' would have to follow the winner's orders, simple as that," I answered. She was still looking me over with her soft brown eyes. I raised my eyebrow at her when she finally met my eyes.

"Why, what did you think the 'slave' would be doing?" I asked.

"No, nothing, I was just thinking if there were any boundaries to stay within…or anything…" she trailed off, something preoccupying her thoughts.

She flinched at my question. Again, it was so minute, yet so blatantly obvious to me that she had something else in mind. I could only come to one conclusion at what she was thinking about.

"It's not like I would have you doing any sexual favors or anything when you loose. I mean, we did just meet about fifteen minutes ago. What kind of gentlemen would I be then?" I asked with a knowing smile. Her face instantly flushed and she furiously shook her head. _Ha…this is too easy_.

"What!" she exclaimed while fervently looking around the Fire Cavern to see if anyone had come in and heard what I had told her. She hid her face in her hands and shook her head. "I can't believe you just said that."

"…unless you want to…" I cautiously offered. Her head popped out from her hands and she glared at me in disgust and anger; her face was still flushed. _Okay, so this is the part where her head spins around 360 degrees and knives start flying through the air right at us. Not in the mood to die Squall, defuse the situation, and by the looks of it, quickly_.

"Whoa, before you even start, it was just a joke. I would never do that," I quickly said while holding my hands up in defense.

The door to the kitchen opened and the waitress scurried over with our orders on a tray. Rinoa's face instantly softened as the waitress approached the table. She smiled and quietly thanked her while the waitress put a bowl of front and a glass filled with a fruit concoction in front of her. The waitress placed my bagel in front of me and promptly retreated to the kitchen.

"Did I happen to mention that you're an ass?"

"I believe so. A gentlemanly ass at that, if I do say so myself," I smartly replied. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Deal, but you're going to be sorry that you even made this bet," she mustered through clenched teeth.

The next thirty minutes that went by were pretty much unbearable. Rinoa was methodically eating her bowl of fruit, impaling each piece with the metallic prongs of the fork. More customers were beginning to file in through the front door. Most of them looked to be fishermen about to depart for their morning catch. Every time the door would open, Rinoa would quickly glance over just to make sure that no reporters had spotted her.

Not long after, Seifer and Quistis entered and spotted us in the back corner. I looked over only to see Quistis smiling happily at the sight of us while Seifer merely arched an eyebrow. I instantly looked back down at my now empty mug and crossed my arms over my chest. Rinoa looked over and smiled warmly at them as Quistis pulled up a chair right next to her. They began chattering right away, but Quistis looked different somehow, she was almost…glowing? Seifer slowly pulled out a chair next to me, nudging me with his elbow as he sat. _Well, this is fucking great, the rumor mill is here_.

"So what have you two been up to **this** early in the morning?" Seifer asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"What, are you Irvine now? I should ask you the same question," I said while studying Quistis who hadn't stopped smiling, in fact, she was now turning beet red. Seifer just shrugged his shoulders in indifference. Rinoa heard the question and looked back across the table at us. I didn't have to look at her to know that she was burning a hole through my head right now. I rubbed the back of my neck and let out an exasperated sigh.

"We were discussing how to get to the island of Ponchi, where the beach is," Rinoa replied.

"Does that mean that you are coming with us then?" Quistis asked. Rinoa looked over at Quistis, smiled, and nodded her head in agreement.

Quistis enveloped Rinoa in an embrace. The action caught both Rinoa and I off guard. Rinoa's hat was pushed higher on her head, exposing her shocked face. Her hand shot up to catch the teetering hat before it threatened to completely fall off of her head. After a moment, Rinoa brought herself out of her stupor and returned the embrace with an angelic smile set upon her on highlighted face. Quistis released her and looked across the table at Seifer and me, who stared at her in utter confusion. Quistis is normally very prim and proper, not so…so…_giddy?_

"What?" Quistis asked.

"Nothing," Seifer and I answered quickly while exchanging looks. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm just happy that Rinoa is joining us. I mean, you guys always out number Selphie and I, Rinoa will just help even out the playing field," Quistis explained. Rinoa nodded her head in understanding and looked over at me mockingly.

"Whatever," I mumbled. _Great, now Rinoa is going to be brainwashed by Quistis and Selphie. Nothing but an annoyance…_

"So what's the plan?" Seifer asked.

"The plan is to find someone who will drop us off on Ponchi," I stated. Rinoa just shut her mouth, clamping her lips together tightly.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. Come on Seifer, we've got work to do," I said while standing up and pulling Seifer with me.

"Why do I have to go?" Seifer cried.

"Because I have a bet to win, come on," I said, starting to get annoyed. "Ladies…" and with that we left.

**I know, I know, it's short. I decided to break this into two chapters, the next one will be better I promise. Sorry for the long wait, what can I say, moving is a bitch. Thanks for taking the time to read and if you feel compelled to review, don't let me stop you. A special thanks to my reviewers, they really do inspire me. Anywho, glad tidings everyone. (feeling festive...eh)**


	10. bite the bullet

chapter 10  
_bite the bullet_

"Ladies," Squall said sweetly while dipping his head towards Quistis and myself. A few unruly bangs broke away from their tucked position behind his ears and softly fell in front of forehead, the tips seemingly getting caught in his eyelashes. I once again found myself being drawn in by his eyes, which were just visible from their refuge behind his bangs. We locked eyes for a split second, which was long enough for me to see a flicker in his eyes and an evil grin form on his lips. I just sneered at him as he and Seifer retreated to the front doors. _That pompous ass actually thinks he is going to win? Hmm…perhaps we should find a karaoke bar later tonight_.

"So what's the bet?" Quistis asked.

"Oh, Squall thinks that he is going to be able to find someone on Balamb that will drop us off on Ponchi, but he won't," I replied while lazily propping my elbows up on the table and watching Squall walk past the windows and vanish from sight.

_Are you sure that not a single person will drop you off?_ Yes, of course I am. _Absolutely sure?_ Yes. _Positively sure?_ Yeah. _Unquestionably sure?_ Ugh…yeah. _You're undeniably certain?_ I…think…so. _Unequivocally certain?_ Hyne, what is this! Okay, so maybe there is an infinitesimal chance that…I…**could**…be wrong; a snowballs chance in hell even! There are you happy! _...you're so screwed_. Yeah, thanks for that. You know, you're supposed to be on **my** side, a little encouragement would be helpful. _You're right…Rinoa, you aren't screwed. You're undeniably and unequivocally…fucked_. Do you want me to hold my breath? Is that it? Don't make me hold my breath!

"Rinoa! Come in Rinoa!" Quistis uttered loudly while waving a hand in front of my face. In the midst of my argument with myself it seemed that Quistis had asked me a question. I tugged my hat down and slouched into my seat as I noticed that the few customers that were in the Fire Cavern were now staring at me as if I had a horn growing from my forehead. I could tell that they recognized me, but just couldn't pinpoint exactly who I was. _Shit, I need to get out of here, and fast. I'm going to have a hoard of reporters chasing after me now_. My nervousness was starting to spread as people were talking quietly amongst themselves and casting stares in my direction.

"Huh? I'm…I'm sorry Quistis. W-what did…you say?" I choked out, shifting my eyes around the room.

"Rinoa, are you alright?" Quistis asked in a concerned tone, noticing my sudden nervousness. I shook my head and removed my bowl and glass that lay on top of the newspaper that was sprawled out across the table. I angled the paper so that Quistis could get a better view of the headlines. Quistis leaned forward and began reading to herself. She paused and stared up at me, much in the same way that the other customers had. _What! There isn't a horn! I swear!_

"Vincent Valentine's critically acclaimed play will be running at the Angelika Theater on-"

"Shit. Not that. Here, read this," I interrupted and flipped the paper over so that the front page was displayed. It only took Quistis a couple of seconds to understand why I was suddenly on edge. She looked around to make sure that no one was close enough to hear us talking.

"Go to the restroom in the back, there is a window you can climb out of. I'll meet you behind the Fire Cavern," she said in a hushed voice as she leaned in closer to me and turning her back to the other customers.

"But I-"

"I'll pay the bill. Just go."

"NO! No, let me-" I tried to argue.

"Rinoa, it's alright, there is just an alley out back. I'll meet you in a couple of minutes, okay?" Quistis spoke with concern and laid a hand down on my shoulder.

I looked into her blue eyes and felt my nervousness ebbing away. There was something so warming and calming in her eyes that it was so foreign to me. She spoke with a soothing tone that a mother would take with a frightened child, again, something that was completely foreign to me. All that I could do was nod my head absentmindedly. Quistis almost immediately sensed my uneasiness.

"Rinoa, they won't get to you, we won't let them. Besides, you're one of us now and we look out for each other. You'll be fine."

_You'll be fine_. There is was again, that tone. It sounded so…so…_motherly_. In an instant I felt warmth wash over me while my anxieties seemed to slip away into oblivion. It was assurance; assurance that for the first time I would be **safe**. I've had numerous run-ins with reports and I've always had to outrun them or sneak away on my own, with no help. But now, I was being welcomed with open arms into this group of friends; friends who weren't superficial.

"Thanks," I whispered. Quistis smiled and nodded towards the back of the restaurant. I stood up, placed some gil on the table, and walked briskly toward the back, dodging a couple of chairs and tables on my way. People all around me were talking and forming their own conclusions. I followed the sign with the arrow pointing towards the back. I could just see the door for the restroom come into view. I was within three steps of the door when I heard it. I knew it would happen sooner or later.

"Hey, isn't that Rinoa Heartilly?" I heard someone say. I froze in mid-step and my heart starting to beat faster.

"Why would Rinoa Heartilly be here? She's surfing in the competition this morning," I heard Quistis reply confidently.

I smiled and continued on toward the door of the restroom with a smile on my face. I reached out and turned the rusted door handle. The wooden door creaked and moaned out in pain as I pushed it open. The restroom was small with only one stall, a sink with a mirror, and of course my freedom, a small window. In the middle was a single light bulb with a long pull cord hanging from the ceiling. I stepped inside and pulled the cord to turn on the light. I then closed the door behind me, switching over the latch to lock it. The tan tiled floor had scattered bits of toilet paper lying haphazardly around the stall. The white paint on the walls was starting to chip off, falling down on to the tiles. Next to the sink was a metal trashcan that was over flowing with paper towels.

I walked straight ahead to the window which was positioned about a meter and a half above the floor, and had a film of dust and grime. The window latch was locked and covered in a coating of white paint, just as the wooded windowsill was. I gripped the latch with my fingers and tried to pull it out towards me to unlock it. The only problem was that paint was so thick that I could barely budge the latch. _Oh no! NO! Come on! Open up you stupid piece of metal!_ While I struggled with the door my fingers started to grow sore from exerting so much force. I pulled back and after a couple more vain attempts.

"Shit!" I spat out in frustration. _Think! Think! Think!_ I looked around the room until my eyes rested on the trashcan. "Hello there," I said to myself as the light bulb in my head clicked on. I grabbed the can and turned it over, excelling all of the paper towels that were deposited, and some other…things. _Oh that's just disgusting! What would possess two people to do **that** in **here**? Oh Hyne! The smoothie is rising!_ I dropped the can and turned around and nearly gagged in my mouth.

_Okay, Okay, just don't look at them. You want to get out of here, right?_ With a new resolve I turned around and grabbed the trashcan while keeping my eyes focused on the wall to minimize the risk of seeing…**those**…again. I walked over to the window and brought the trashcan above my head. I unleashed a fury of hits upon the latch to loosen it from its current position. Metal clashed against metal creating a clamorous noise. I had no doubt that someone would come to the door in curiosity.

After about the tenth whack, the latch popped open. I tossed the trashcan in the corner and pulled the latch all the way out into the open position. I raised the window just as the door handle began to jiggle and turn back and forth. I paused and peered over my shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay in there?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out. Just give me a minute," I said will pushing out the screen and watching it fall to the ground outside.

I was about to hop up on the windowsill when I noticed a problem. The window only opened about a foot. _Great, now I have to slither out._ I took a deep breath and gripped the outside portion of the window sill with both of my hands. Using the strength that I had, I pulled myself up and forward, dipping my head as I passed under the window. I stopped when I pulled my torso up onto the windowsill to catch my breath. I took a couple deep breaths and mentally prepared myself for the fall that I was about to take. Now granted, the window wasn't that high, but falling face-first onto the ground from any height was not my forte; especially for one who is a bit scared of heights.

Just then the window began to creak. Fearing that the window would shut on me and cut me in half…or something…_well it might_…I pushed myself out the window and collided with the soft dirt and sand mixture on the ground…face-first. _Shit that hurt! For Hyne's sake, that's twice today_. Sure my hands were out to soften the blow and try to catch myself, but that failed miserably. I did manage to land on my side though.

The right side of my body hit the ground with a thud. Half of my face dug into the sandy dirt with some being shoved into my mouth. My hat twisted around so that the bill was covering the left half of my face. My hair was sprawled about in every which way. All the while I heard some one trying to sustain a giggle. I looked up and sure enough, there was Quistis with one hand covering her mouth and the other outstretched to help me up. I spit out the dirt that was in my mouth and slowly rose into a sitting position before taking her offer.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked.

"Just long enough to see your graceful dismount," she replied with a smile, while pulling me up.

After I cleaned and brushed myself off, we decided to get as far away from the press as we could. We walked back onto the now bustling street and headed for the docks. The sun was beginning to climb higher into the morning sky as we walked along the beach. A steady breeze blew in from the ocean, playing with my hair as it danced around me. With each step I took, my foot sank into the soft sand. The grains seemed to hold my foot captive until the moment when my momentum would bring about liberation, and the cycle would start anew.

The docks were virtually empty as we approached them, most of the boats already gone on their fishing expeditions for the day. The wooden planks groaned as we walked above them. The water down below was gently crashing into the wooden columns holding up the dock. We sat along the edge of the dock, looking back along the beach as it seemed to stretch into the horizon. Sumet's was only about one hundred meters away, so we could still keep an eye on the reporters who were snooping around.

I was very grateful for the opportunity to just get away; get away from the five hour photo shoots, the press junctions, and asshole boyfriends. Now I find myself with this…amazing group of friends that have invited me along with them on their journey. Just watching them interact with each other, they seem like a close-knit family. And I am just an outsider. I started thinking that I actually didn't know anything about them really. Okay, other than Squall is Laguna Loire's son, but beyond that, I don't know much about them. I do know enough that I feel safe enough to travel with them, this family, to a hidden beach.

"So how long have you guys known each other?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Well, we grew up together in Esthar, to put it simply. Squall, Seifer, and myself all lived on the same street. I actually lived right across the street from Squall and Seifer just a few houses down. We didn't meet Irvine, Selphie, and Zell until later."

"So you became best friends from the start?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Squall and Seifer were inseparable, they did everything together. It's funny really, Squall was always quiet and shy around people that he didn't know, and even sometimes around us. He would retreat deep into his thoughts unless Seifer was around. Seifer was, and still is, the exact polar opposite of Squall. He was the livewire of the two, always getting into trouble and dragging us along with him. I remember he would always say, 'come on Squall, don't be a girl, nothing is going to happen'. I always knew that they would get into trouble, but I still went along with them. Deep down I think that Squall knew as well, but didn't want to disappoint Seifer."

Quistis had her long legs dangling over the dock edge and had both arms back to support her as she leaned back, admiring the view of the beach and recalling found memories, smiling all the while. I leaned back onto my hands as well and looked back on the beach. The thought of the three of them getting into any sort of trouble was comical to say the least. I could just imagine Squall beginning to chicken out and Seifer making fun of him.

"What kind of trouble did you get into?"

"Oh, just little petty stuff really. It started off with prank phone calls to random people in the phone book, to pick-pocketing in downtown Esthar, to vandalizing property," Quistis said while shaking her head at what I could only imagine would be the images that were flooding her memory. She paused and her face suddenly fell and added, "but that all changed after the…accident."

_The accident, what accident? Wait, Squall said he was in a car accident._

"Oh, you mean the car accident?" I asked

"Uh…right, the car accident. How do you know?" she asked while turning to face me.

"Well, I asked Squall this morning how he got that scar on his forehead and he told me his was in a car accident."

"Ah, I see. Well, yes, Squall and his mother were involved in…a car accident. Tragically, his mother, Raine, was killed and his father just up and left," Quistis spoke with mixed emotions. She tried to force a smile, but I could tell that she was angry about what had happened. She turned back around and focused on the horizon again.

"Oh my Hyne! I had no idea. I mean when Squall said that he was in a car accident, I just assumed that this happened recently, like he was the one driving," I paused to let the realization sink in. To loose your mother at a young age was almost unfathomable…**almost**. _I guess that's one thing that we have in common._

"Squall doesn't talk about it. That's the one subject that we don't press upon him really. We know he has limits about what he is willing to talk about. He virtually shuts down when the subject is brought up."

"I kinda noticed that. How old was he?"

"Nine. Yep, that's when everything changed."

"How so?"

"Well with Laguna out of the picture…I ugh…assume that you know about that already?" I just nodded my head in response.

"Well, with Laguna gone and with Squall and Ellone having no other living relatives, the courts sent them to live with foster families. Only, these foster families weren't the most…hospitable. He and Ellone were shuffled from one abusive home to another and the courts and lawyers just turned a blind eye."

"I remember for school Squall would hardly show up, and when he did, he was a different person. He became much quieter more nervous more…**protective**. He would only talk to Seifer and me, and when Seifer wasn't around, he would tell me what goes on back at his home. Some of the things he told me were just unimaginable. I remember a specific incident where he told me that Zeke, one of his foster fathers, like to physically beat them after a night of drinking. Zeke came home one night completely trashed and dragged Squall and Ellone out of their beds to begin beating them. He would start on Squall and then move on to Ellone, but…" Quistis paused for a long moment.

"Squall…he would bear the brunt of Zeke's attack and then do anything to keep Zeke from getting to Ellone. He would do anything to try and protect her. Keep in mind; this is a nine year old kid trying to protect his ten year old sister." She shook her head at the memory. "He never told Seifer how he would get the bruises, but I ended up telling him. In three months they were in and out of ten different foster homes, each as abusive as the one before, until finally the courts got word of what was going on. With no one else willing to take them in, the courts shipped them off to Esthar Garden to become SeeDs.

"Seifer was hit hard by the news. I mean, they were really close. Seifer started changing; he started becoming more brash and getting into more trouble. He would even break into cars to steal gil or whatever. Seifer's home life was starting to crumble as well. His parents were sick of his antics and lack of respect, so they sent him to Garden."

"And you? Did you go to Garden?"

"Yep. My parents ignored me mostly. They got sick of me and found caring for me too much of a chore. So, they sent me to Garden so that they could get on with the rest of their lives."

"Wow…I don't know what to say. You were all so young."

"Yeah, well, shit happens for a reason. Besides, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger," she said with a slight smile on her face as her eyes focused on something off in the distance. I followed her gaze and saw a blur of yellow coming this way…coming right at me…at very high speeds.

"RINNNNY!"

"And that's where we met Irvine, Zell, and…Selphie."

In a time that was faster than I could even blink, my insides were being crushed, my spleen was rupturing, and ribs were puncturing my lungs. Okay not really, but tell me this, how is it possible for someone so tiny to possess so much crushing force? I opened my eyes and saw Selphie crouched down beneath me with her arms thrown around my waist, squeezing the very life out of me.

"Selphie…release," I heard Quistis say, and as if on command, she did.

"I can't believe it! Does this mean you're coming with us!" Selphie squealed.

Believe me, I wanted to answer her, but I was very afraid that she would tackle me…or worse. So I pulled back, closed my eyes, and cringed before answering.

"…yes?"

"YAAY! Irvy, Zell, did you here that? Rinoa is coming with us!" Behind Selphie stood a form holding packages, the only distinguishing feature was the spiked blonde tips. Irvine was trailed behind him tipping his hat with a smile on his face.

"That's fantaAHH-" Zell stumbled forward nearly dropping the load he was carrying, but recovered quickly. Quistis stood up and walked over to assist him.

"What did you guys get?" Quistis asked.

"We bumped into Squall and Seifer this morning and Squall told us to go out and buy some food and pack our bags," Selphie said energetically.

"Selphie…what did you get? There are four bags here!" Quistis exclaimed while taking the top bag off the pile so that Zell could be seen. He thanked her and set the rest of the bags down on the dock.

"Actually, the bottom bag is food and stuff that we'll need, and the others belong to Zell" Selphie said as she stood up and walked towards Zell, clenching her fist. Zell took a couple of steps back and held out his hands to defend himself from Selphie's anticipated onslaught.

"What do you mean the others are Zell's?" Quistis asked. I stood up to watch, sensing something was about to go down, mostly of Zell getting beat up by Selphie…_and probably Quistis too by the look of it_.

"Okay…wait…I can explain!" Zell said.

"Yeah Zell, tell Quistis and Rinoa what you spent 75 gil on," Irvine said from behind him.

"Well Squall told us to buy what we would need for a couple of weeks, and, well I have different needs from you guys," Zell choked out. I could tell he was nervous, his hands where starting to shake and his eyes were darting back and forth from Quistis to Selphie.

"Out with it Zell," Selphie said.

"Like I said, I have different needs…and…and…and I have a very sensitive diet-"

"Selphie, tell me he didn't?" Quistis asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'll carry everything, I promise. You guy won't even notice a thing," Zell promised.

"Zell!" Selphie practically shouted.

"Okay!" Zell took in a deep breath and prepared himself. "I-went-down-to-one-of-the-local-stores-and-bought-them-out-of-hotdogs," he spat out all at once. He then cowered back and winced.

"You spent 75 gil on hotdogs! Zell are you crazy! They're all going to spoil by tomorrow!" Quistis exclaimed.

"No they won't, because I bought them MRE style, you know, meals ready to eat," Zell whined.

Both Quistis and Selphie were glaring at Zell, Irvine just had an amused smile on his face. Zell straightened up after he realized that neither Selphie nor Quistis was about to pummel him with blows. An agonizing minute went by where nobody uttered a sound.

"Ugh…I'm just going to go back to my room and pack up my stuff…yeah," Zell tentatively said. He slowly bent down to pick up the bags, keeping an eye on both Quistis and Selphie. With the bags in his arms, he smiled nervously and walked back to the hotel.

"Hotdogs huh?" I playfully asked.

"You don't want to know," Irvine answered.

A couple of hours later, everyone except for Squall, Seifer, and me, had gone back to the hotel and gathered up their packs. Squall and Seifer still had not returned from their quest to find a boat that would drop us off on Ponchi. I, of course, couldn't go back to Sumet's because the press was still hounding me from what I could tell. We were all biding our time by the docks; Quistis, Selphie, and me strategizing how I could get back to my room and get my stuff. Irvine was busy teaching Zell the art of hitting on women back down on the beach. I think that Zell got slapped across the face at least three times so far. Oh, and I did inform them of our little bet, they were ecstatic to say the least.

Off in the distance, a lone figure began walk towards the docks. As the figure came closer, we realized it was Squall. He had his hands shoved deep into his pockets looking…defeated. _This is going to be good. Maybe I should start off with him groveling at my feet._ He approached the docks and slowed his pace when he noticed us.

"Where's Seifer?" he asked, trying to avoid eye contact with me.

"We thought he was with you," Selphie replied.

"He was, but we split up to cover more ground."

"What's the matter Squall, no luck?" I asked with a knowing smile. He didn't answer me though, didn't even look at me. He just turned around and started walking back.

"I'm going back to get my stuff, be right back," he mumbled.

"Hey, that is! Rinoa, Squall can get your stuff so that you don't have to be caught by those reporters!" Selphie said while jumping up and down at her idea. I turned and looked to Quistis.

"Do you think it would work?" I asked.

"It's worth a shot, what do you think, Squall?" Quistis asked. He froze with his back towards us.

"…fine…whatever."

"Great! Here's my key, all of my stuff is in a bag near the foot of the bed. Don't worry, Squall, just think of this as practice for later," I told him while I walked up to him, holding out my key. He swiped it out of my hand and stormed off.

We watched Squall as he reached the back deck of Sumet's and disappear into the hotel. A moment later, we heard a roaring engine quickly approaching. Zell and Irvine ran back up to the docks. Racing along the shallow water at full speed was a ski boat that was cutting through the waves with ease, creating little wake. The driver was hunched down in the captain's chair, his blonde hair flapping behind him as he fought against the wind.

"Holy shit! Is that Seifer!" Zell called out.

Without warning the boat's front end reared up as the driver threw the boat into reverse, instantly slowing the speed. The boat skid across the water and stopped right before slamming into the end of the dock.

"Hey guys! We got us a boat!" he yelled out over the engine.

"Seifer, I didn't know you could drive a boat," Quistis stated.

"What can I say, I'm multi-talented. Alright, throw your shit in, lets go," Seifer said as he put the engine in neutral and hopped out of the boat with a line to tie to the cleat. He tied the line quickly and began tossing bags and packs into the boat.

"Seifer what's the hurry?" Irvine asked as he strolled up to the boat.

"Nothing! Just get it!" he spat out.

"Nice ride, how did you get it?" Selphie asked.

"Hyne just shut the fuck up and get in!" he nervously shouted.

"Seifer, what did you do!" Quistis demanded.

"I'll explain later," he said while chucking a bag into the boat, "where's your stuff Rinoa? Where's Squall?"

"He's back at Sumet's getting our stuff," I answered.

"SHIT! Come on, everyone get in."

We all had worried looks on our faces. Irvine and Selphie got in first, Selphie taking the passenger chair. Zell hopped in with his three bags of hotdogs in his arms. Seifer jumped into the boat and turned around to help Quistis in. I stood on the edge of the dock and looked back towards Sumet's and was Squall coming out of the hotel with bags in hand.

"There's Squall," I said and pointed in his direction. Seifer's head perked up to look in his direction and he was about to shout to him when a man emerged from the tree line in the opposite direction. He was carry a gun and running towards us while shouting in a foreign tongue.

"Shit! SQUALL, RUN!" Seifer shouted.

"Holy Fuck Seifer! What did you do!" Irvine yelled. Seifer got out and untied the bow line from the cleat. I stood on the dock paralyzed, unsure of what to do or what was going on. Just then, a shot rang out sending everyone in the boat to the deck. Seifer jumped back into the boat as the shot zipped past overhead. _Oh my Hyne! I'm gonna die!_

"Rinoa, get down!" I vaguely heard someone shout. As much as I wanted to move, my feet were cemented to the wooden planks. My eyes were transfixed on Squall as he broke into an all out sprint towards the docks.

"HE'S PACKING HEAT SQUALL, RUN!" Zell shouted.

The man let off another shot, this time one at Squall that narrowly missed him as he rounded the corner for the docks. The scatter shots imbedded themselves into the planks right behind Squalls legs. He started running faster. His arms and legs were pumping furiously with the bags flying wildly about. He got to within ten yards when the man totting the shotgun finally reached the docks. He quickly reloaded, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

"RINOA!"

My eyes widened and my mouth fell open as I heard the shot bellow out from the gun. Everything started to slow down; the cartridge discharging from the barrel, the smoke wafting into the air, the pellets bursting out of the cartridge. My heartbeat was pounding in my ears as the pellets flew right past me, hitting the side of the boat.

Squall was now just a couple of feet from reaching the boat. He threw the bags into the boat and leapt into the air as another round of shots came hurtling our way. I only had a moment to blink before I felt Squall's shoulder collide into my body right below my ribcage and his arms wrap around my waist. I was flown back as Squall's body slammed into mine, sending us flying into the air with bullets surrounding us. We fell back into the bench seat, by back driven into the seat cushion with Squall landing on top of me.

"GO! GO! GO!" Squall shouted with the side of his face only inches away from mine.

Seifer shoved the throttle forward, instantly bringing the boat to life. The outboard motor roared as we were propelled from the dock at amazing speeds. All of a sudden one of the front windows burst into pieces. Squall instantly turned his face towards me and covered my face with one of his arms. I shut my eyes as the glasses pieces flew back, bouncing off the cushions and over the sides of the boat. The wind was whipping Squall's hair against my face.

I suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain in my ribcage and found myself unable to breath. I tried gasping for air, but to no avail. My eyes shot open and were met by soft blue ones. Squall stared down upon me with a look of concern. The boat was beginning to slow in speed and Squall slowly raised his upper body off of mine. I began gasping for air as his weight lifted off me. Seeing me gasp, he leaned his face down to my ear.

"Are you alright!" he pleaded against the wind. _Am I alright? Am I ALRIGHT? I was just being shot at and I was just tackled! Of course I'm NOT ALRIGHT!_

"…yeah," I mumbled.

He sat up and started inspecting my body for any cuts or wounds. I was too much in a state of shock to notice that Squall was straddling my lower body, although, the action was subconsciously beginning to registrar in my brain. He pressed his thumb against the side of my waist, his warm skin touching mine. My eyes started to roam over his exposed chest and I started feeling light-headed.

"You're lucky, it just missed you!" _What are you talking about?_

"One of the bullets just missed you," he shouted as he showed me the newly formed hole that was in my shirt. I looked down and saw the whole, as well as some fresh drops of blood. I blinked my eyes a couple of times to make sure that I was seeing straight. _This doesn't make sense…I wasn't hit though…unless_. I looked at Squall's side and saw a small trickle of blood that was dripping down onto me.

"You're hit," I shouted as I moved one of my hands up to inspect.

"Nah…it just skimmed me," he said. He then leaned down to my ear once again, "but I think that we're even now."

**howdy guys. so there you have it. i hope thatthis chapter is up to par. this will have to hold you guys over for awhile,i won't be able to spend as much time on thisstory, with classes starting and all. anywhoo, thanks for the reviews. oh and about the title, the reason why it's all lower caps is because 1) i'mpaying tribute to the book (whichis also in lower caps) and 2) because i can. i mean, everyone has proper titles, i'm just breaking away from the norm. great reviews though! thank you all soo much! ciao**


	11. turbulent wake

Chapter 11  
_turbulent wake_

"You have to let me take a look at it!" I shouted over the deafening wind.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it!" he shouted back.

"But you're bleeding!"

"Don't worry about it!" he shouted while cautiously lifting his head to peer over the cushioned back of the bench to looked back at the shore. _Okay fine, bleed to death, see if I care_.

"Why are you being so stubborn, you could bleed to death! You know that ri-!" I shouted right back at him while attempting to sit up, stopping mid sentence as the pain once again stabbed at my side. I clenched my teeth together and winced.

"Stay down, you're hurt!" he shouted while gently pushing my shoulders back. I reluctantly complied, being more concerned with whether or not Squall had really been hit. _Rinoa he's fine, if he had been hit he would be wailing out in pain…right?_ I looked back up at him and he tried to avoid eye contact with me by looked ahead towards the horizon. _Something isn't right, I just know it_.

The boat continued up the coastline, slicing through the waves with ease. The engine was so loud I could feel the vibrations through the cushions. I took a deep breath in and held it while closing my eyes, once again acknowledging the sharp pain that momentarily shot throughout my ribcage as I instinctively clutched my side with one hand. _Well…nothing feels broken…that's good_.

My mind became numb as the wind blew across my body and ran freely through my long strands of hair. I was beginning to feel lightheaded, the images of being shot at racing through my mind in slow motion. The wooden chips flying through the air were so vivid as the bullets riddled the dock, chasing after Squall. I began visualizing the bullets as they sped past me while I just stood like a Centran statue on the dock. The realization was slowly ebbing into my mind that I was being shot at…and that I nearly died…in fact I would have if it hadn't been for…Squall. I turned my head towards the bench cushion as tears began to cascade from my eyes, my hair flying around my face acting as a temporary shield. I squeezed my eyes tightly trying to quell the onslaught of tears, but they kept coming anyways.

I faintly heard the roar of the engine begin to die down as Seifer slowed the boat's speed. I barely felt the weight on the bench shift as Squall slowly got up. I cracked my eyes open and squinted against the blowing wind and saw Squall leaning forward to fight against the wind as he was trying to walk forward. He crouched down to Selphie and Quistis who were huddled down together. I could see his mouth moving but his voice was lost in the wind as he spoke to them. He slowly helped them up to their feet and they nodded their heads in unison. Irvine and Zell slowly got up from their positions as well, Irvine shaking the shards of glass that had landed on his hat off into the water. They all looked so…normal; so unfazed by the fact that we were just shot at. There were no hysterics or loud wailing like you would think, but just …a normalcy…like it didn't even happen. Seifer stopped the boat.

"Man, did you see that old coot runnin'?" Zell said while chucking at the thought.

"I know, I'm just surprised he could even walk without using a walker!" Irvine exclaimed while busting up with laughter. Even Selphie was beginning to giggle a little.

_What the hell is going on! We were all just fucking shot at! We all could've DIED!_ I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I couldn't do a thing but just stare at them as they joked about the situation, with tears still sliding down my cheeks. I shifted and sat up while pulling my legs close to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them and winced at the pain I had to endure for changing my position. I sniffled and rest my chin atop my knees silently praying that no one would notice that I was crying. Unfortunately for me, someone did notice, in fact, two had noticed. I could hear them walking over to me so I suddenly looked away and forcefully wiped the tears with the back of my hand. I was looking back behind the boat as Selphie sat right in front of me, putting one of her hand on top of mine which were clutching my bent legs. Quistis kneeled down beside me and tentatively put her arm around my waist, drawing me into a friendly embrace. Silence ensued.

_Great...lets focus in on blubbering Rinoa_. I didn't want the attention; I didn't want anybody to see me crying, not in this state. I felt like a cowering child hunkering down from a schoolyard bully. I don't know how much time was spent in silence. The boat gently rocked back and forth, almost as if to soothe my nerves.

"It's alright Rinoa…we're just…kind of used to it," Quistis spoke softly with a caring warmth, it was that same comforting, motherly tone. _WHAT! Who gets used to getting shot at!_ I slowly turned around to look at everyone, who was staring down trying to avoid contact. Squall had his back turned towards everyone with his head down. I didn't know what to do or say, I felt so helpless. The tension was smothering me, I felt that I was about to snap. So I started…laughing...yes, uncontrolable nervous laughter escaped from my mouth.

"Damn it Seifer!" Squall yelled out. "What the FUCK did you do that for!"

Squall's outburst left everyone stunned. I immediately quit my laughter, looking up to a now ticked off Squall. His fists were clenched as he turned to glare at a shocked Seifer.

"What?" Seifer asked in disbelief, "are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding Seifer!" Squall exclaimed.

"Chill the fuck out Squall, nothing happened," Seifer replied, obviously annoyed at this sudden barrage.

"…nothing happened…" Squall murmured while shaking his head in digust.

"Why are acting like we just botched a fucking mission! It's not like anybody got hit."

"Yeah I did, thank you very much," Squall spit out while pulling back the side of his shirt to reveal his newly formed gash.

"Shit man!" Zell said. Selphie and Quistis were about to get up and go to him when he spoke up again.

"No, don't, I'm fine, honestly it's nothing…it just skimmed me," Squall said while motioning Quistis and Selphie to stop and pleading with his eyes.

"Well what is it then? Is this because I stole the boat? 'Cuz if it is, that's just bogus! We've done way more shit that far surpasses stealing a boat Squall."

"Did you even fucking think, Seifer!" Squall lashed out again. "Did you even stop to think for one fucking second that we might be shot at?"

"Earth to Squall, we've been shot at before-"

"Yes, so we're used to being shot at! But did you ever stop to think that Rinoa has probably never been shot at!" Squall yelled while pointing over in my direction. "FUCK! She could've been killed Seifer! Hyne…that's exactly why…" he trailed off. Seifer turned his head away while Squall turned back and walked towards the front, gripping the railings.

_Did he not want me here? But…he invited me…didn't he?_

"Look…Squall I…I fucked up alright," Seifer said, still looking out over the ocean.

"Yeah well, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Squall said while practically tearing his shirt off from his arms, peering down to get a better look at his cut.

I watched as Squall took off his shirt and twisted his body so that he could see the cut the bullet made as it grazed him. I watched as every muscle in his back contorted and flexed on command. I faintly took notice of a tattoo placed between his shoulder blades. As he moved I couldn't make out tattoo, only that it seemed to resemble some sort of animal. His cargo shorts hung low on his waist, exposing the top of his suit. He turned to his right and his bangs fell in front of his face, shielding it from view. He flicked his hair back suddenly to try a get a better view. I watched as he gingerly touched his cut, inspecting it with skill…almost as if he had done this before.

It was then that I realized that Squall was concerned for me. He had just started an argument his best friend over my well-being. I felt a warm glow begin to grow from inside, but it was quickly quenched by the guilt that began to rear its ugly head on my conscience. This was the second time that I had caused him to nearly be killed. I shut my eyes and shook my head in disgust at myself.

"Rinoa…I just thought…sorry" Seifer offered as he turned to face me with one hand still fastened on the steering wheel. I tried to smile at him with a genuine smile.

"…It's okay…" I squeaked out.

"Hyne Rinoa, did you get hit?" Quistis asked as she saw the blood on my shirt. I instantly looked down and felt my side to make sure that I wasn't hit, but then I remembered that it was Squall's blood and not mine.

"Uh…no…it just missed me…" I trailed off as I looked up at Squall who had turned back around and was looking at me with concern. "I'm fine Quistis, thank you."

Squall turned back around and Seifer started the engine back up to continue moving north up the coast. I gave both Quistis and Selphie reassuring smiles that I was alright. I looked back at Squall and found him ripping his shirt into long cloth strips. Selphie squeezed the top of my knee and smiled down at me as she got up and walked back to the other bucket seat, carefully stepping over everyone's packs. Quistis too got up and walked over to Seifer. She then promptly and firmly smacked him in the back of the head. Seifer looked up to her and they exchanged heated words. I of course couldn't hear a word as we sped atop the water. Quistis then reeled her arm back again, threatening to smack him. Seifer just smirked and pulled her down onto his lap, to which she didn't object to.

I brought my legs over the cushion and placed my feet on the floor. A long strand of hair flew across my face as I turned around. I swept the lost strand back with one hand and tucked it behind my ear. It was then that I realized that I no longer was wearing my hat and that it was forever lost at sea. I watched Squall in his attempts to making his strips long enough to cover the perimeter of his waste. _This is ridiculous…he needs help_.

I slowly got up and began making my way to the front of the boat, slightly wincing at the pain. I followed the walkway past Seifer and Quistis, pasted the blown out windows, and up towards Squall. I walked up right beside Squall's left and leaned my back against the railing. I wasn't sure if we were on speaking terms, so I just waited until he noticed me, only he didn't. He was either purposely ignoring me or just hadn't noticed me. I decided to put my hair up in a ponytail with a hair tie, creating some commotion to grab his attention. Again…nothing.

"Need any help?" I tentatively asked. He turned around and glanced at me.

"What are you doing up, I thought you were hurt," Squall said, avoiding my offer and fumbling with a cloth strip that he had torn. I started feeling a little more relaxed. _Okay, at least he is speaking to me_.

"Well I was, but that's because I've never been tackled before," I said with a hint of sarcasm. Knowing that everyone, most importantly me, had just gone through an emotional rollercoaster, I tried to lighten mood a little bit. Mostly for my benefit, to make sure I was still sane. Squall looked at me with an arched eyebrow and sighed at my comment.

"So the next time you'd prefer to stay standing in a barrage of bullets?" he asked, also with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well if it means not having the wind knocked out of me, then…" I replied with a smile.

"Whatever," Squall said. He shook his head and returned to fastening his strip cloth around his waist. I peered around him to see how he was doing; it was a sad sight to say the least. The strips of cloth would work fine for wrapping the cut, but he really needed some gauze to apply to the surface to the wound. A thought promptly came to mind. I looked down at my plain white shirt, now ruined with blood and a bullet hole, and decided that it would suffice as a substitute for gauze. I grabbed the ends of my shirt and pulled it over my head, revealing my bikini top. I pulled it down my arms and balled up.

"Here, use this," I said as I outstretched my arm towards him. He turned around and saw my offer, but also glanced over my body.

"I'm not wearing your shirt."

"Well, I'm sure you would look fabulous in it, but it's for your cut," I said a little more breathy then I wanted to. I instantly looked way, tongue in cheek. _Stupid, stupid, stupid_. I could hear him chuckling at my sudden school-girlish actions. I slowly returned my gaze towards him. Instantly the scene from last night replayed in my head. I found that this time our roles were reversed, but in the same situation. "And to thank you"

"You're thanking me with your shirt?" he knowingly asked.

"No, the shirt is for the cut. I'm thanking you for tackling me," I said while looking up into his eyes. _Whoa…Rinoa, that's way to open ended, say something else before he thinks…shit_. He turned fully to look at me in amusement and leaned his elbow on the railing while holding the remainder of his tattered shirt in his hand.

"Really…"

"For…um…from the bullets, yes, tackling me away from the bullets," I quickly stammered out. He swiped the shirt from my hand.

"You're not the first girl to thank me with your shirt."

"Ew." _Is he serious?_

"Here, hold this for me," he said as he thrust his shirt into my empty hand. He then proceeded to rip my shirt apart at the sleeves.

"You wore deodorant today, didn't you?" he asked in seriousness.

"Of course I did!" I replied, taking offense that he would even ask that question.

With the sleeves torn off, he handed the shirt back to me and balled up the sleeves. He pressed the balled up mass against his wound, wincing at the pain. He then pulled away one long strip from my hand and tried to hold the sleeves in place while wrapping them at the same time, only he couldn't do it. He ended up tying his fingers in with the sleeves. I tried to suppress my laughter at his attempts. He eventually gave up and looked over towards me.

"Need help?" I asked knowingly. He untied the strip and held it out for me. It flapped in the wind as I reached out and grabbed it with a slight smile on my face, knowing that he needed help after all. I placed both shirts on the floor and walked closer to him. He backed away from the railing to give me enough room to operate in.

"Alright, hold these in place with your right hand," I instructed. I stepped close enough so that I was nearly flush against his side. I held one end of the strip of cloth in my right hand pressed against the sleeves. I let the other end fly across his stomach with the wind. I maneuvered myself so that my left arm could reach around and grab the other end of the cloth strip. Only it wasn't as easy as it sounds.

As I reached behind him, I found myself leaning in on him, my chest pressing against his side and my stomach pressing against his hand as he held the sleeves in place. I could feel my cheeks start to heat up at our close contact. I had to snake my left arm in front of his bent right arm and behind his back. I reached out and tried to grab the end of the cloth, but was still a good distance away from the end. I looked up at him and found that he was watching me intently. I held our gaze as I pushed my arm against the small of his back trying to get closer to the other end of the cloth. His warm and dampened skin was sending shivers throughout my body. He looked away with a lopsided smile. I looked away as well, but my eyes decided on a path of their own. My eyes roamed over his broad chest and caught sight of small beads of sweat forming from the blistering sun, which was only a mere inches away from my face.

I inhaled sharply and subconsciously licked my lips. _Rinoa what are you doing? Act professional! He has a gunshot wound and he is asking for help and …and …wow those are really defined_. Suddenly the front of the boat was jolted upwards as we flew over a rough wave,flinging me forward against Squall. I clamped onto his body for support with my face crushing into his chest, my lips just grazing his glistening skin. I felt an arm go around me to hold me against him, while his other flew back to grab the railing to steady us both. It was now my stomach that was pressing the sleeves against his wound.

"Whoa there," Squall nervously laughed. I looked back at Selphie, Irvine, and Zell who were eyeing us suspiciously. I closed my eyes to tried and refocus, flushing my mind to the uh…scandalous thoughts…to say the least.

"Need help?" I heard Squall ask me. I opened my eyes and tried to focus on his face, but my eyes couldn't leave the abs that were directly in front of me. All that I could manage was a weak nod of my head. Squall let go of the railing and grabbed the end of the cloth, bringing it behind him to where my hand was waiting. His knuckles brushed against my hand and I hesitantly took the cloth. I don't think that he noticed that his other arm was still holding my firmly against his side. For some reason, I choose not to call his attention to it; it's just a minor detail. _Sure Rinoa, you know it's just an excuse to rub against each other_.

"Uh…Squall…your arm is…is" I said, once again way too breathy then I intended. I could feel the blush on rushing to my face. He got the message and slowly removed his arm, pushing his hand against my stomach and his side. _Whoa whoa whoa there…oh right…he's just trying to hold the sleeves in place. Ok, honestly he doesn't have to be moving his hand THAT slowly_. I started to form a pleased smirk while bitting down on my tongue as a way of distracting myself. _Dead puppies, skinned kittens, lightning, fire…NO…not fire…um wiping out on a colossus wave, just anything! Okay Rinoa, move away from him now_. Reluctantly I did move away and brought the other end of the cloth over the sleeves.

"Okay, you can remove your hand," I said while beginning to tie a knot, and finding my voice as well. "There, is that too tight?" I asked, not being able to look him in the eye.

"No, it's fine."

"Good," I said as I stepped back and turned my reddened face away from him. The next thing I knew Squall put both of his arms around me and clasped the railing. He leaned in close and brought his mouth right next to my ear.

"Was it good for you?" he whispered. My jaw literally dropped at his statement and my eyes widened. He pulled away and revealed a smirk plastered smugly on his face. He then turned around, not waiting for a response, and started to walk off. _That asshole! I can't believe he just…grrr…Oh no he doesn't, he's not getting away that easily_.

"Hey Squall, so about our bet…"

**i know, long wait, sorry. i hope this chapter was worth the wait. what do you think?  
ciao**


	12. pride and punishment

Chapter 12  
_pride and punishment_

"Hey Squall, so about our bet…" I heard her say. I stopped in my tracks and started to slowly turn around.

"Oh, you mean the bet that I won?" I casually asked. She was still leaning back against the railing with her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her face was still flushed and her eyes were narrowed at me. She was obviously upset, but there was something else I could see in her eyes. Past the fury and wrath, there was a flicker of deep rooted pleasure. The corners of her mouth giving away that she was fighting a smile.

"No, you must be mistaken, the bet that I won," she said calmly as she began to walk towards me.

"What the hell are you talking about, it's pretty damn obvious that I won the bet," I responded while giving her a quizzical stare.

"Uh, no, it's pretty obvious that **I** won the bet" she said in a raised voice. _What the hell? Is she blind?_

"I…I'm sorry…what is this we're floating on?" I asked while feigning my utter ignorance. "Wait…wait…don't tell me…is it a…" I said as I paused to rub my chin with my thumb and forefinger, "…is it a plane? No that can't be right, I don't see any wings," I mumbled. "Is it a…car? No, no that's not right either, no tires. Well shit, you've stumped me Rinoa. Please, enlighten me, what is this that we're magically floating on?" I sarcastically asked.

"Alright smartass, it's obviously a boat but-"

"Wait, what did you just call it…a boat?"

She was boring holes into my head with her rabid glare. I began to smile knowing that the next word I would say would surely set her off, unleashing a plague upon me of epic proportions. I bent down so that I was eye level with her.

"Yeah it's a boat, and that means I won…so get over it" I said with spite. I then turned around and walked back to the bent where Zell was reclining. I was about to sit down when I heard her call out.

"You most certainly **did not** win the bet Squall!" _Hyne, what is this! How is it that she won? Is she that blind? Maybe she swallowed too much sea water as a kid?_

"How is it that you won? We're on a boat!" I exclaimed as I turned around to see her storm down the aisle.

"Yeah, a STOLEN one at that!"

"So what! We've got a boat! Sure Mr. Dumbfuck here went off and stole one, but we've got a boat! Therefore I won!"

"Hey, I resent that, Puberty Boy!" Seifer cried out, but it went unnoticed.

"No you didn't!" she said as she approached me, getting right up in my face. "I never said 'I bet you won't be able to steal a boat' I said 'I bet you won't be able to find a single person on Balamb to drop us off on Ponchi!'"

"Well here's a newsflash for you, Seifer and I just happened to be on Balamb, and guess what…Seifer is taking us to Ponchi!" I said while pointing over at blonde.

"That's such a bullshit excuse. The fact of the matter is you didn't find anyone to drop us off," she spat out.

"Why can't you just accept the fact that you lost!"

"Because I won!" she said through clenched teeth.

_Unbelievable. Never did she say anything about not stealing a boat, so technically what Seifer did was okay…well it wasn't okay…in a sense that…with the shooting and all…ah fuck it. I'm not even going to try and explain it. 'The fact of the matter is blah blah blah'. 'I'm right because I'm a surfer, I'm rich and famous, and besides, I look really cute when I pout'…okay so she really didn't say that, but damn it, I can be pissed off can't I? I mean, I have a valid reason, I won the fucking bet!_

While in the midst of my self brooding, I had to shut my eyes and take a deep breath to try and quell the anger that was slowly starting to boil over. I felt like I was back at garden arguing over something as petty as a triple triad game. This was ridiculous. It became apparent to me that neither of us was going to budge on the subject. I slowly opened my eyes turned my head towards Quistis and Seifer.

"Alright, so who won?" I calmly asked.

"Squall," "Rinoa," they both said practically in unison.

"Well clearly Squall won, Rinoa never specified that stealing a boat was not an option, and besides, I was on Balamb," Seifer explained to Quistis.

"Thank you," I chimed.

"Wait a minute Squall, don't celebrate yet. Seifer, I think Rinoa meant that no locals would drop us off on Ponchi. So you being on the island doesn't count, and neither does stealing a boat. Sorry Squall, I'm gonna have to side with Rinoa on this one," Quistis equally explain, only more eloquently than Seifer.

"HA!" Rinoa mocked as she smirked.

"Irvine? Selphie?" I asked while starting to get annoyed.

They both looked at each other and began brainstorming, each vying for either outcome of the bet. They huddled together making sure that no one could hear them, acting as if their decision would forever change the fate of the world. Soon they both started becoming more vocal until a shouting match practically broke out.

"She meant a local not Seifer! And Squall didn't even get the boat!" Selphie cried out

"She didn't specify! Come on Selphie, Squall won."

"Specify? Specify this!" Selphie said as she promptly slugged Irvine in the gut.

"UGH! Selphie, I thought we talked about this, how you weren't going to hit me in the stomach anymore," Irvine wheezed out as he bent forward.

"Oh yeah…" Selphie admitted as an after thought, "sorry Irvy, it slipped."

I just covered my face with both of my hands and ran them through my hair. I stood with both my hands behind my head and slowly turned towards Zell who was eating something from a bag. He was about to stuff his face full with something that looked liked…_is that dried, mashed up hotdogs…Hyne Zell_…until he noticed that everyone was staring at him. He dropped what he was eating nonchalantly and stood up to face us.

"I'm sorry, what?" he hesitantly asked.

"Who won the bet Zell," I stated rather than asked.

"Ah yes, the bet, the wager, the jackpot, the big stake, the gamble, the-"

"Ah fuck man! Yes Zell, we know, now just answer the man!" Seifer lashed out.

"Alright, the thing is…I wasn't really there when the bet was made…so how do I really know what was said between you?" he weakly offered.

"Zell just fucking choose! Who do you think is right?" I spat out.

"Don't yell at him, let him make up his own mind," Rinoa said while glaring at me.

"I'm not yelling at him, I'm just asking him a simple question," I said through clenched teeth.

"Uh…I…Ri..no Sq..a" he whimpered.

"Oh fuck this, I'm beating it out of him, Quistis grab the wheel," Seifer stated as he began to make his way towards Zell. Quistis obliged while Seifer lunged for Zell, but Zell darted out of the way and tripped over some bags. Zell scrambled to get up but was grabbed and pulled up by Irvine.

"Hold him Irvine," Seifer said as he got up from the bench seat and made his way towards the cowboy, "I'm gonna smash his fucking skull in." Seifer grabbed Zell's collar and raised his fist.

"Seifer you know you won't hit me, you have too slow of a punch," Zell commented. Before Seifer could bring his fist down Selphie stepped between them.

"Boys! Back to your corners!" she said while trying in vain to push Seifer away.

"Zell…just tell us who you think won," I said flatly.

"Alright, alright…geez…" Zell said. Both Irvine and Seifer released their grips and waited for the martial artist's answer. His eye darted back and forth nervously between Rinoa and me, and then he came to it, a moment of clarity. He straightened himself up and smoothed out his shirt, opened his mouth, and made a pained face.

_No, NO! Don't you dare!_

"…sorry Squall…but Rinoa won this one."

_Traitor._

"And the truth shall set you free!" Rinoa proclaimed triumphantly as she threw her arms in the air in victory. Selphie pushed Seifer away and ran up to her, embracing her in the 'Selphie bone-crushing hug'. Rinoa's face immediately fell, although she tried to play it off, but I knew the pain she was going through, especially since she's a virgin to the 'Selphie bone-crushing hug'. Not knowing what else to do, I sat down and watched as Selphie and Rinoa spun themselves around in a circle, until Selphie tripped on one of the bags and they both fell down in a heap of laughter. Rinoa clutched her stomach with one hand while she laughed. Zell and Irvine joined along in their laughter, only it was directed at me.

I could hear Irvine making lewd comments along with Seifer and Zell taking their own stabs at me, but I didn't pay attention to them. My thoughts seem to have drifted off in a different direction. I could only focus on the bikini topped, denim cut-offs clad woman rolling around on our packs; it only faintly registered that she had randomly fallen on my pack. She smiled and gave Selphie a high five as she attempted to get up. As she stood up, she released her hair from its binding, letting long stands of raven hair flow down past her shoulders. She grinned from ear to ear as she ran her hands through her hair, shaking out the kinks, stretching out her toned stomach. Slowly, to me anyway, she turned toward Quistis who offered a congratulatory embrace. I closed my eyes with my hands covering my face.

_Stupid fucking Zell, why did he have to side with Rinoa? She's probably paying him, yeah that's it. Hmmm, maybe it won't be so bad. At least she won't have you streaking anywhere, at least I hope not_. As I tried to convince myself that this wouldn't be that bad, another fear started to balloon up in my mind. _Squall, don't let this develop into anything…more_.

* * *

As quickly as the sun reached its height in the sky, it started sliding down towards the horizon. The island of Ponchi with its towering cliffs was now visible as we continued up the coastline of Balamb. Everyone had seemed to settle down after the bet was "unfairly" settled in my opinion. A few rules had been established for me to follow, including a new name for me. 

My name is now…Pugsley. I won't be able to speak unless Rinoa speaks to me, and when I do speak to her I'm not allowed to insult her or scowl at her. If I want to speak to anyone else I have to get permission from Rinoa. _And how am I supposed to get permission from her if I can't speak unless spoken to?_ Yeah I wondered too, I guess I'll just have to throw something at her to get her attention. Lets see, what else…oh, I have to follow her around and wait on her hand and foot. So currently I am sitting on the floor with my legs stretched out and my arms folded against my chest, leaning against the bench cushion, and to my left is one of Rinoa's legs as she sits on the other facing Selphie. My sunglasses, which I was allowed to dig out from my bag provided they weren't broken, are pulled low and shielding my eyes. My view is hampered by the sides of the boat so I have nothing to look at, except for my feet…and…currently I am reciting the 'Five Little Pigs' in my head and wiggling my toes.

_This little piggy went to the market. This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast geezard. This little piggy had none. And this little piggy cried "wee, wee, wee, wee," all the way home_.

Shut the fuck up. I know you're laughing at me, but you try killing three hours with nothing but your feet to look at. Selphie and Rinoa have been playing mercy to kill the time. You know, that stupid game were you try and bend the other person's wrists back until they cry out 'mercy' from the pain. I hate that fucking game. I think Selphie has lost every single time, and yet, she giggles and laughs after every loss.

"How are you doing down there Pugs?" Rinoa asked. _Oh, I'm having a fucking ball playing Five Little Pigs with my toes, and later, maybe I'll set up a tea party with them! How the fuck do you think I'm doing!_

"Fine," I said as I held back my thoughts.

"Would you like to play mercy Pugs?" she asked me.

"No."

"Come on, I'll go easy on you, I promise," she begged.

"No."

"Oh don't be bitter Pugsley," she said as she as nudged me with the heel of her foot.

"I'm not," I replied with disdain.

"Fine be that way."

Just then the motor started to sputter. I looked up to Seifer who was steering the boat. He stared down at the gauges.

"Seifer, what's going on?" Irvine asked.

_We're out of gas_.

"I don't know," he replied as he continued to scan over the gauges. Quistis peered at the gauges for a moment and then pointed down at the gauge were the arrow was pointing at the large 'E'.

"We're out of gas," she said calmly. _That's what I said_. "That's what that big 'E' means Seifer."

"I knew that," Seifer said as he tried to cover his ass. The engine died. Everyone got up to look around at where we were and how far away from Ponchi we still were.

"Well at least we can see it," Selphie meekly offered. I slowly stood up and peered at the still distant Ponchi. The towering vegetated cliffs stood out with only a thin strip of beach visible.

"We're still closer to Balamb, so I suggest we camp there for the night since there is no way we can reach Ponchi before nightfall," Quistis said as she pointed back towards the coast.

"Alright, so how do we get back to the coast Miss Know-it-all," Seifer said as he folded his arms.

"Well, we could just ride the current back to the coast, but-"

"It's too slow, we won't get there before the sun sets," Zell added.

"Exactly. So, we either find an oar to use so we can row back to the coast, or someone volunteers pull us to shore," she said methodically, seemingly ignoring Seifer's comment. Zell pulled up the cushion on the seat.

"Okay, so there is no oar, but we've got an inner tube and a tow line," he said as he held up the deflated inner tube and pulled out the tangled tow line.

"So…who wants to volunteer then?" Quistis asked. Silence ensued. _Well there's a shocker, no one wants to volunteer!_

"Hey Rinoa, why don't you have Pugsley here tow us back to shore?" Irvine asked with a smile. _Fuck!_ I glared at Irvine as he leaned back against the side of the boat with his arms resting against the railing, smiling away. Rinoa slowly turned towards me and looked as she was silently considering the thought.

"…heh…no, I couldn't do that to him, besides, he's injured," she said as she turned back around.

"I'm not injured," I said, taking offense.

"I'm sorry, Pugsley, did you say something?" Rinoa asked as she turned back around.

"I'm not injured," I said as my jaw tightened.

"You were shot, I'm not going to make you-"

"It grazed me, I wasn't shot" I interrupted rather condescendingly.

"Fine, you were grazed by a bullet, I'm still not going to make you tow the boat to shore," she replied.

"And why is that Rinoa?" I said as I stepped closer towards her, "because you would feel guilty knowing that a bullet grazed me while I saved you from getting hit? Because you would have to watch me pull the boat thinking that I'm in pain?" I spat out.

"Squall, she's just concerned that-" Quistis tried to reason.

"I don't need your pity," I said as I leaned down so that we were at eye level, ignoring Quistis. "Zell, give me the tow rope."

Alright, I admit, what I just said was really harsh, harsher than I intended it to be. The truth was that I didn't need let alone want anyone feeling sorry for me, it's not like I lost a leg or anything. I saw the hurt spread across Rinoa's face as she thinned her lips and looked down at her feet. She looked behind her and sat back down on the bench, giving everyone a forced smile. Zell tentatively held the rope out for me. Selphie walked up to me and softly punched me in the stomach.

"That you deserved, don't be an ass Squall," she said softly as she walked past me to sit down next to Rinoa. I took what she said to heart and snatched the rope from Zell's outstretched hand. I proceeded to walk towards the front of the boat. I walked past Quistis who just shook her head at me. I got to the front railing and crawled over it to the fiberglass ledge that converged to a point. I sat down and took off my sandals, tossing them behind me. I leaned over to see if there was a tow ring attached to the hull. I spotted the ring and began to tie a tight knot, pulling on it for good measure. Satisfied with the knot I created, I straightened up and gripped the rail as I slowly rose to my feet. I undid the button on my shorts and pulled the zipper down. I gripped the rail again as I slid out of my shorts, revealing my black trunks. I tossed them back inside the boat where my sandals were and sat back down of the ledge. Zell came up behind me and handed the other end of the rope to me.

"Good luck man, 'cuz you're going to be in a world of pain," he snorted as he rested his elbows on the railing.

"Thanks," I dryly replied. I sat there for a moment staring out at the ocean as it met the cloudless sky. I looked back towards Balamb and noticed that the sun was still above the canopy of treetops, but would soon disappear. I peered down at the waves as they lapped against the hull of the boat. _Shit, this is going to hurt like hell_. I took off my sunglasses and pulled my ring off, handing them to Zell.

"How far do you think it is?" I asked.

"Ah…only a about a mile, give or take…a couple…hundred yards," he said with a smile.

"Great," I said as I wrapped the end of the rope around my fist. "Well, here goes nothing."

I stood up from the ledge and jumped into the water. Immediately the pain ripped through my body as the salt licked my wounds. As I plummeted through the water I began slowing in speed until I eventually stopped descending. I shut my eyes tightly as the stinging pain seemed to increase with every second. Both my head and my side began throbbing. I found my strength seeping away from me as the pain slowly began paralyzing my body. My lungs were beginning to burn, signaling my need for oxygen. It took every ounce of energy to get my legs moving, kicking me back up to the surface. When I did break the surface I gasped for air and let out low wail. My eyes were still closed as I moved one arm down to press on my side, yet this produced even more pain. I grit my teeth and took a sharp breath inward, slowly releasing it.

"Hey, he's alive! That's twenty gil Seifer," I heard Irvine call out.

"Fuck!" Seifer cried out. I opened my eyes in time to see Seifer pull the gil from his back pocket.

Without responding, I turned towards the coast and started swimming away. I quickly found that using my arms to help me swim wasn't an option as every time I stretched my torso out it felt like someone was taking a chainsaw to my side. I closed my eyes as another wave of pain engulfed my senses, rendering me practically motionless. Somehow I found the strength to keep my legs kicking.

I suppose this is what I deserve. I wish that I could take back what I had said to Rinoa earlier. It wasn't her fault. It was my fault for dragging her into all of this. Today had already been a rollercoaster ride, and there was no telling what I would have to endure once we reached shore. So far today I've been an ass, a smartass, an overbearing and protective…ass, and finally an all around shithead, and all of these just in front of Rinoa. There really was no need for me to be the latter. The truth is I never did find anyone on Balamb that would drop us off on Ponchi, not a single person. I take it that neither did Seifer. Sure I could've admitted that I was wrong and avoided the argument with Rinoa, but I choose to but heads with her. I refused to lie down like a wet blanket; I had my pride to defend. Yes, she had won the bet fair and square, but part of me wanted to see her riled up. I was coming close to crossing a line, a line that has frightened me since I was nine.

"Hey Squall, can you go a little faster? It's getting kinda hot and we could really use a breeze!" _Eat shit and die Seifer_.

Even when I let her help me, I knew that I was coming close to crossing that line. I don't know what made me do it. I was suddenly acting on a whole new playing field, carnal instincts almost. I no longer had any control over my actions. I knew I shouldn't have let her get that close in the first place. Everything about her was becoming intoxicating to me. The smell of her scented coconut shampoo in her hair, her silken skin rubbing against mine, the way her face started to redden in our contact; it was all becoming too overwhelming for me, I couldn't back away, I couldn't stop. Hyne, it was like I was back to being an addict again, just pushing myself to the limits to get that elusive euphoric feeling. So I trapped her and leaned in. Blood curdling screams rang out in my mind, but I could only faintly hear them over her rapid breath and thunderous heart beat. I knew that what I was doing was only going to hurt Rinoa in the long run, yet I couldn't stop myself.

With the sun retreating behind that treetops and casting an eerie red hue across the sky, the beach was quickly coming into view. Soon I could feel the muddy sand envelope my feet as I dug my feet in to stand up. Tiredly, I trudged forward and the water level began to fall from my shoulders down to my waist as I climbed higher up onto the beach. Feeling that the boat had gotten stuck in the sand, I dropped the rope and continued up towards the beach. As the water fell below my most recent cut a new and more powerful wave of pain radiated outward and it came in contact with the air. I sucked in a breath and plowed up the beach, my legs being dragged down by the weight of the water. I finally made it up to the swash but couldn't command my legs to go any further and collapsed from the overbearing pain, or was it from the impending turmoil?

"Heh, give me back my gil Irvine."

I knew that I was getting too close, closer than I have ever been, and it was scaring the shit out of me. The only problem is I don't think I can stop it from happening.

**there you have it. so this chapter is a giftto those of your who are willing to give a review. who da thunk, an update in less than a week. i must say i quite impressed with myself! anywho, thanks again for the reviews, however far and few between they are, they still count. oh yeah, and i don't own the Five Little Pigs story or even know who wrote it in the first place. so if you do know, give yourself a pat on the back, cuz you're a frickin genious. hmm...maybe it was the cousin of mother goose...  
babble**


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